Heavily pregnant mother-of-two stabbed on Aberfan school run phoned a friend as she lay bleeding to say ‘He tried to kill me’: Man is charged over the attack

A pregnant mother-of-two who was stabbed while jogging at a school in Aberfan called her friend as she lay bleeding and said: “He tried to kill me.” It emerged today when a man was charged with assault.

Neighbors were desperate to stop the flow of blood coming from mother-of-two Andrea Pintilli, 29, whose son is due three days before Christmas.

Veterinary assistant Katie, 31, said the attacker used a “big knife” to inflict multiple wounds on his victim, aiming for her stomach.

Ms Pintilli managed to get her mobile phone to call a friend to say she had been stabbed.

Neighbor Katie Roberts, who lives opposite with her husband Sean, said: “I heard her say, ‘He tried to kill me.’ I don’t know who she was talking to, she was lying on the floor.”

Police today confirmed Ms Pintelli has been released from hospital after Daniel Mihai Popescu, 28, from Merthyr, was charged with attempted murder.

A mother-of-two and her unborn child miraculously survived being stabbed by an attacker outside the family home in Aberfan, South Wales, when she returned from dropping the children off at school yesterday.

The Crown Prosecution Service added that they face additional charges of stalking and intimidation of witnesses.

Ms Pintilli, who was 37 weeks pregnant, worked at Home Bargains and had gone on maternity leave just four days before the attack.

Colleague Leah Hull, 23, said: “We’re all just grateful to Andrea and the baby will be fine.”

“She has no family here, so one of her close friends from work is in the hospital with her and lets us know how she is doing.”

Supermarket employees said Pintilli’s baby was due on December 22.

It is understood Ms Pintilly called a work friend as she lay bleeding in the road near her home in Aberfan, South Wales.

Roberts, 36, said: “We heard screams outside and thought they were children. Then my wife Kathy said, “Oh God, he’s stabbing her.”

“I went outside and tried to put pressure on some of the wounds. Katie went to get some towels to make her more comfortable.

“It all happened so quickly, she was conscious and very brave, but she was clearly in shock.”

Claims adjuster Mr Roberts went back inside to look after seven-month-old baby May, who was lying in her cot.

He continued: “My hands were bloody because I had just put my hands on the wounds and pressed, so I had to wash them first.

“The woman was wearing a jacket, but I can’t say whether it protected her at all. The man ran down the street toward Taff Trail.

“Katie stayed there just trying to help the woman until the ambulance arrived.”

The couple’s motion-sensitive security camera installed in their front window captured every moment of the attack and police are investigating the footage.

Officers previously confirmed they had arrested a 28-year-old Merthyr man, known to the victim, on suspicion of attempted murder following a seven-hour manhunt.

A statement from South Wales Police said: “Daniel Mihai Popescu, 28, from Merthyr, was charged with attempted murder today, Wednesday 6 December, following an incident in Moy Road, Aberfan, Merthyr, yesterday morning.

“He will appear at Merthyr Magistrates Court tomorrow morning, Thursday 7 December at 10am.

“The 29-year-old woman who was injured during the incident has been released from hospital.”

Police have confirmed Ms Pintilli has now been released from hospital after she was stabbed “at least five times” with a large knife in the horrific attack in broad daylight.

Popescu will appear at Merthyr Magistrates’ Court tomorrow morning.

Armed police swooped on Moy Road, Aberfan, in the south Wales village, shortly after 9am yesterday when the mother, who moved to the area with her two children last month, was reportedly found in a pool of blood on the pavement.

Schools, community centers and public buildings within a five-mile radius were placed on lockdown while the suspect was on the run. While emergency services arrived, neighbors ran outside with pillows and blankets.

Jordan Jones, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Cymru-Wales said; “Following a review of evidence provided by South Wales Police, we have laid charges against the man who stabbed a woman in Aberfan yesterday, December 5, 2023.

“Daniel Mihai Popescu, 29, faces charges of attempted murder, stalking and witness tampering.

“He was remanded in custody and will appear at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on December 7, 2023.

“Criminal proceedings are active and Popescu has the right to a fair trial.

“It is very important that there are no messages, comments or exchanges of information online that could in any way prejudice these proceedings.

“The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make a fair, independent and objective assessment of whether it is appropriate to bring charges before a criminal court.”

Last night Ms Pintilly’s former partner Theodore Balan, 34, the father of her two children, said: “Thank God she’s okay, I was so worried about her.”

He added: “She is a very good mother, looks after the children very well. It was difficult for her to raise two children while working part-time.”

Mr Balan, who was in a relationship with her for almost a decade until 2020, told the newspaper he was “very worried” about Andrea, who worked part-time at Home Bargains to support her family financially.

“She called me this morning. I’m still friends with her. I helped her carry her things and helped her draw. We moved a little over a week ago.

A suspected stabber was arrested after armed police surrounded a house in the village of Troedirhiv, three miles from the scene of the attack.

Four armed officers burst into the pale yellow three-bedroom terraced house at 3.30pm while neighbors were advised to stay indoors.

Police were inside for 30 minutes before the front door opened and a man in a black hoodie was forced into the back of a police car and driven away.