Trial for Covent Garden stabber

A woman charged with stabbing four men in Covent Garden will stand trial next April, a court heard.

Stella Gollovena, 47, is charged with four counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of possession of an offensive weapon, namely scissors, in Endell Street, on 5 August.

Gollovena is accused of stabbing Patrick De Barr, Thomas Harding, Adrian Lovett and Mantas Jankus during the rampage.

Dark-haired Gollovena appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court today (thurs) wearing a grey sweatshirt speaking to confirm her name but she did not enter pleas.

Judge Rosa Dean fixed her eight day trial date for 13 April 2027 and set a case management hearing for January 25 next year.

Earlier René De Silva, prosecuting, said: ‘This was on Wednesday 5 August around 12.25pm, along Shaftesbury Avenue where it meets Endell Street, WC2.

‘Officers were there flagged down by one of the complainants who claimed to have been stabbed.

‘Another male said he had seen the suspect run down the road.

‘Officers followed her down the road Endell Street to Short Gardens, officers spotted the defendant holding a weapon.

‘Officers drew a taser and arrested the defendant.

‘A pair of shears was found on her person and were seized and the defendant was taken to Islington Police Station.

‘Further officers arrived on the scene, they established that four members of the public had been stabbed.

‘All four victims gave statements and were taken to St Mary’s Hospital Paddington to A&E.

‘Another officer, a detective, attended the scene and spoke to a fifth victim who had been stabbed but didn’t wish to provide a statement to police.

‘All four of the victims who gave statements were discharged with non- life threatening injuries.

‘The first victim had a penetrating stab wound to his back, the second victim had a stab wound to the left side of his back, the third victim had a small puncture wound to his upper left back, and the fourth victim had what was described as a small puncture wound to his upper left back.

‘All of these were deemed non-life-threatening and non-life-changing by doctors at the hospital.

‘There are four Section 18 wounding indictable only offence