Stella Gollovena, 47, appeared at Highbury Corner magistrates court on Thursday 6 August 2026, charged with four counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, following a stabbing incident in Covent Garden the previous afternoon. Deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram remanded her in custody to appear next at Snaresbrook crown court on 3 September 2026. Gollovena, of no fixed address, spoke only to confirm her identity and entered no pleas. The Guardian

The court heard that on Wednesday 5 August 2026, four men — Patrick De Barr, Thomas Harding, Adrian Lovett, and Mantas Jankus, aged 34, 39, 42, and 56 respectively — were stabbed in the back with a pair of scissors. Police were flagged down on Endell Street at approximately 12:25 pm by one of the injured victims. That man and a second individual reported being stabbed before officers pursued the suspect and detained her using a Taser. The Guardian

London Ambulance Service treated four patients at the scene and transported all of them to a major trauma centre by road as a priority. An air ambulance helicopter landed in Trafalgar Square during the response. All four men were subsequently discharged from hospital; their injuries were assessed as neither life-threatening nor life-changing. The Guardian

The weapon was described in court as a pair of scissors, alternatively referred to as a "pair of shears," which Gollovena allegedly had on her person at the time of arrest. Police took statements from the four hospitalised men. A fifth individual at the scene stated they had also been stabbed but declined to provide a statement. The Guardian

The Met Police confirmed Gollovena's date of birth as 24 August 1978, placing her at 47 at the time of the alleged offences. The charging decision and first court appearance followed within roughly 24 hours of the incident. Metropolitan Police

The case now moves to Snaresbrook crown court, where Gollovena will face the five charges at a hearing scheduled for 3 September 2026. As is standard in magistrates' proceedings for either-way and indictable-only offences, no pleas were entered at this initial appearance; the case was sent directly to the crown court. The charge of wounding with intent under Section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on conviction, reflecting its status as one of the more serious categories of violent crime on the statute book.

Several procedural and evidentiary elements are worth noting. The presence of a potential fifth victim who declined to give a statement means the evidential picture before the court may not fully reflect the total number of individuals affected. Whether the Crown Prosecution Service subsequently seeks to amend the indictment or call additional evidence at Snaresbrook remains a matter for the next hearing. The use of a Taser during the arrest, the rapid charging timeline, and the deployment of air ambulance resources to Trafalgar Square all indicate a high-urgency police response consistent with a multi-victim stabbing in a densely populated central London location during daytime hours.

Covent Garden, a major tourist and commercial hub in the West End, sees heavy foot traffic throughout the day. The incident occurring around midday on a Wednesday in August — peak tourist season — means the potential for broader casualties was considerable, though the four confirmed victims bore injuries that were ultimately assessed as non-life-changing. The case will next be tested at the crown court level, where plea and case management proceedings will determine the trajectory of the trial.