A man accused of attempted murder by stabbing an 11-year-old girl repeatedly in Leicester Square has appeared in court, as it emerged his trial may be delayed.
Ioan Pintaru, 33, is accused of using a steak knife in a “random” attack on the girl when she was touring London with her mother on holiday.
It is said the girl, who lives in Australia, was grabbed in a headlock and stabbed eight times, to her face, shoulder, wrist, and neck.
At the Old Bailey on Friday, Pintaru appeared over a videolink from HMP Belmarsh - on the date of his 33rd birthday - but he was not asked to enter pleas.
He is charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article.
A trial is currently set for May 6, but the court heard it is possible the case may have to be delayed.
Judge Richard Marks KC, the Common Serjeant of London, ordered a fresh hearing on January 31 when the date of the trial will be raised again.
The young girl, who cannot be named due to her age, was on holiday in the UK for a “dream” trip to see Taylor Swift in concert when she was stabbed, at just after 11.30am on August 12 last year.
She and her mother had just left the Lego store in Leicester Square when the alleged attack happened.
An earlier hearing was told Pintaru is accused of having “approached the 11-year-old girl, placed her into a headlock, he’s then stabbed her eight times to the body”.
The girl was taken to hospital after the attack, which happened near the TWG Tea shop, the Lego store and in front of the M&Ms store.
She received plastic surgery for some of her injuries, before being discharged and returned to Australia with her mother.
Afterwards, her mother thanked a security guard who intervened and the “pure terror” of seeing the incident unfold.
“London is somewhere you would think would be a pretty safe place to go and visit”, she said.
Pintaru, a Romanian national of no fixed address, has been in custody since the incident.
He was remanded back into custody by Judge Marks, and is set to appear on a videolink for the next court hearing.
