Indian Migrant Charged With Harm With Intent, Possession of a Knife, After Car Driven Into Crowds in Derby

A migrant male has been charged with six counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and other alleged offences after a car was driven into people on a street popular with revellers.

36-year-old Sandhu Ponnachan appeared at southern Derbyshire magistrates’ court on Wednesday over allegations he deliberately used his car, a black Suzuki Swift, to mount a pavement and run down pedestrians on the evening of Saturday March 28th.

Ponnachan stands accused of several alleged crimes. Having been arrested shortly after the claimed attack, he has now been charged with dangerous driving, six counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of attempted grievous bodily harm. He is also  charged with one count of possessing a “bladed article”.

The Indian migrant, who has been described as living in the Derby area for several years, spoke only to confirm his name. He has been remanded in custody and will appear before the higher Crown Court later in April for trial.

The judge said: “It’s said that upon that date you drove dangerously and that you committed acts that have unlawfully and maliciously caused grievous bodily harm to a number of people”, reports The Derby Telegraph. The court heard the prosecutor state that Ponnachan accepts he was driving the car and was driving into the city to “buy pizza”, and that it is the prosecution’s case that he instead “deliberately drove at [the victims] using the car as a weapon”.

Seven people were seriously injured in the incident on Friar Gate, which is lined with bars and popular with drinkers, four of whom were subsequently discharged from hospital.

A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Sandhu Ponnachan… 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.”

Police welcomed the prosecution but, in their customary way, ordered the public not to speculate on the case online.