Islington stabbing: Man arrested after mother stabbed in street while pushing toddler in pram
Suspect asked 36-year-old woman for directions then stabbed her in the leg after she refuses to hand over phone
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A 26-year-old man has been arrested after a woman pushing a toddler in a pram was stabbed in broad daylight during an attempted robbery.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm on Thursday morning.
He remains in custody at Holborn Police Station.
Christel Stainfield-Bruce, 36, was approached by a male, who she initially believed to be aged between 14 and 16, as she pushed her son along Caedmon Road in Islington on Friday afternoon.
At first, he asked her for directions before telling her to give him her mobile phone.
But when she refused, he stabbed her in the back of the leg and ran off.
Ms Stainfield-Bruce was taken to hospital to be treated for her injuries and was later discharged.
The nursery worker told the BBC: “It feels so unnecessary. There was no gain, he didn’t even get my phone or bag or anything, but it must be a symptom of a wider problem.
“What is the state of the country when young children are causing a big wound to people they don’t know, with people you’ve got no history with? What’s going through these people’s heads?”
Her husband Quinn said his wife had not screamed out after being stabbed because she did not want to wake their son, asleep in the pushchair throughout the attack.
He said his wife was “insanely lucky” and “could have been paralysed or died”.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers were called to the scene of the stabbing shortly before 5pm on Friday.
Officers from the central north command unit continue to investigate.