Friar Gate incident latest 22:25: Man charged with multiple offences

A man has been charged in connection with an incident in Derby city centre.

Seven people were injured – some seriously – after a Suzuki Swift was in collision with a number of pedestrians in Friar Gate at about 9.30pm on Saturday 28 March.

All seven were taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. Four people have since been discharged from hospital.

A 36-year-old man was arrested shortly afterwards.

Sandhu Ponnachan, of Chariot Close, Alvaston, has now been charged with six counts of Section 18 GBH with intent, one count of attempted Section 18 GBH with intent, one count of dangerous driving, and one count of possession of a bladed article.

Ponnachan, who lives in Derby but is originally from India, has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court on Wednesday 1 April.

Chief Superintendent Emma Aldred said: “This incident has, naturally, sent shockwaves through the community of Derby and the county as a whole.

“My thoughts, and those of the wider force, remain with each of the seven injured people, their families, and witnesses at the scene.

“I would like to reiterate my thanks to all the people that have assisted our investigation – the public, partner agencies, local businesses and also the media and wider community for their patience and understanding as we have worked to seek a charge.

“While today’s charge is positive news, and one that I hope brings a degree of reassurance, the investigation into the incident continues and I would once again appeal for anyone who has any information to come forward.

“We are still very keen to hear from who anyone who may have CCTV, dashcam, or mobile phone footage that could assist our enquiries and would urge you to contact us via the details below, if you have not already done so.

“As a final word, now that charges have been made I’d ask for the cooperation of the public to allow the judicial process to continue without any speculation online or elsewhere that could impede the pursuit of justice for all those affected.”

Janine McKinney of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Sandhu Ponnachan with six counts of six counts of Section 18 GBH with intent, one count of attempted Section 18 GBH with intent, one count of dangerous driving, and one count of possession of a bladed article following a police investigation into the incident in Derby on Saturday evening.

“Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.

“We have worked carefully with Derbyshire Police as they carried out their investigation.”

 Anyone who is able to help with our investigation is asked to contact the force using the below methods, quoting incident 1131 of March 28:

• Website – We have crime reporting tools on our website: https://www.derbyshire.police.uk/
• Facebook – send us a private message to the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page
• Phone – call us on 101.

You can also anonymously contact the independent charity CrimeStoppers, on 0800 555 111, or by visiting the CrimeStoppers website: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/