A man has appeared in court in London charged with the attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl in Leicester Square.
Ioan Pintaru, 32, was also charged with possession of a steak knife.
Westminster Magistrates' Court heard that the victim is undergoing treatment, including plastic surgery.
Mr Pintaru is a Romanian citizen of no fixed address. The charges were read to him through an interpreter during the 10-minute hearing.
Prosecuting barrister David Burns said that a woman and her daughter were in Leicester Square as tourists when the defendant approached the girl and "stabbed her eight times to the body".
"She sustained wounds to the face, shoulder, wrist and neck area," he said.
"Fortunately members of the public intervened, which prevented any further injury being made to the child."
Mr Burns said that police had been called and had "found the defendant being held by the members of the public", and recovered the knife.
Mr Pintaru was remanded in custody and will next appear at the Old Bailey on 10 September.
Police said that there was no suggestion the incident was terror-related, and officers do not believe that the suspect and the victims were known to each other.
Leicester Square and the surrounding area attracts an estimated 2.5 million visitors every week and is home to shops, theatres, cinemas and restaurants.
