The 11-year-old Australian schoolgirl stabbed in a random attack in London’s Leicester Square last week refused to let the horrific violence stop her from keeping a very important appointment with Taylor Swift.
The survivor has been revealed as Candelo girl Laila Johnson, who was with her mum Samantha in London following a trip to see the Matildas play at the Olympic Games, the Daily Telegraph reported.
They were in Leicester Square when homeless man Ioan Pintaru allegedly attacked the girl with a knife last Monday.
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Laila suffered stab wounds to her face and neck before Pintaru was restrained by bystanders, including a nearby security guard who had just clocked on for his shift.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Laila spoke about getting released from hospital to go and see megastar Swift at her London show that very week.
“I had to get to the Taylor Swift concert,” Laila told the outlet.
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“It was amazing.”
She was joined on the occasion by two Metropolitan Police officers who had come to her aid after the attack.
“They had a great time but they also made me feel more safe there,” Laila said.
“Some people organised for us to go into a VIP box and there was food being served and a private toilet, which was very exciting.”
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Her mother Samantha said Laila had been singing and dancing even with stitches in her face and neck.
“I was expecting her to crumble when she got home, but that didn’t happen,” Samantha said.
Indeed – when back home in Candelo, NSW, Laila’s next stop was another stage, where she played Alice in her school’s production of an Alice In Wonderland play.
And it seems she’s determined to take the positive from her ordeal.
“I’ve met so many lovely people, especially in the hospital and the police who have been looking after me,” she told the Daily Telegraph.
Her alleged attacker has been charged with attempted murder and remains in police custody.
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