Aussie girl’s alleged attacker appears in UK court

A man charged with the attempted murder of 11-year-old Aussie girl Laila Johnson, who was stabbed eight times in London’s Leicester Square, has appeared in court.

A man has appeared in court, charged with stabbing a young Australian tourist who was in London for a dream holiday with her family to see Taylor Swift perform.

Romanian national Ioan-Alexandru Pintaru, aged 32, is charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article, after 11-year-old Laila Johnson was stabbed eight times in London’s Leicester Square last month.

He has not yet entered a plea in the case, with a trial date set provisionally for May 2025.

The defendant, bearded and of slim build, appeared via video link from HMP Belmarsh, a men’s prison in Thamesmead, southeast London.

Wearing a pale grey T-shirt and trousers, he sat still, hands clasped in front of him, as he waited for the hearing to start.

He briefly spoke in English, to confirm his identity and date of birth (17 February 1992) but otherwise relied upon a barrister speaking in Romanian to him from the courtroom.

One of his legal team told the presiding Judge, “He is happy for the hearing to keep going as long as I tell him what’s happening.”

Laila Johnson with her mum Samantha. Picture: Richard Dobson

The hearing took place in Room 6 at London’s Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, in front of Judge Ludcraft KC, Recorder of London.

The judge ordered that the defence team provide medical and psychiatric reports by November 11, with a further case management hearing set for January 17.

However, all parties recognised that until more information about the alleged crime and parties involved had been provided - and a wide range of medical and psychiatric investigation concluded - that date could not remain set in stone.

A sketch of Romanian national Ioan-Alexandru Pintaru appearing before the court. Artist: Judith Quenzler

The Judge heard an application to lift reporting restrictions in the UK, due to the victim being named in international media. However, he kept restrictions in place for the UK, after both prosecuting and defence barristers supported this move in the interest of a fair trial, whenever and whatever form it does end up taking.

Directions for the trial were given, including the provision of a video link so Laila and her mother Samantha can both testify from their home in New South Wales, and the security guard witness who helped the victim had granted his request to give evidence from behind a screen.

The girl suffered serious injuries when she was attacked in front of her mother Samantha at the busy tourist spot on August 12.

A security guard at the nearby TWG Tea store rushed to the girl’s assistance and succeeded in disarming her attacker until police arrived. The guard, who gave only his first name Abdullah, was later recognised for his courage during a ceremony at the Pakistani High Commission in London.

He told the audience that he’d been on duty at 11.30am on the morning of August 12 when he heard a scream.

“My colleagues came and we gave first aid to the kid,” he said.

Ioan-Alexandru Pintaru being arrested by police officers at the scene of the stabbing. Picture: Supplied

Laila, from Candelo, NSW, was taken to hospital where she received treatment for injuries to her neck, shoulder, arm and wrist.

Laila had been travelling with her mother around Europe, where they had supported the Matilda’s women’s football team at the Paris Olympics and had planned to attend a Taylor Swift concert in London. The pair had just exited the Lego store on the west side of the famous square when the attack occurred.

The 11-year-old was discharged from hospital within a week, and with the help of Australian consular officials, was able to attend one of Swift’s concerts in the city.

When she returned to Australia, she thanked all those who had helped her: “It was bad to meet them under those circumstances but they are some people I will remember forever.”

Laila’s mother shared that her daughter has been “incredible” and was ready to “get back to normal”.

Knife crime continues to be a huge issue in the UK. According to the Home Office, there were 50,500 offences involving a sharp instrument in England and Wales in the 12 months leading up to March 2023 – a 72 per cent increase on 2014/15.

Metropolitan Police in London recorded more than 15,000 knife offences in the year leading up to March 2024, including almost 12 attacks per day.

Originally published as Aussie girl’s alleged attacker appears in UK court