A man has been remanded into custody after appearing in court accused of dangerous driving after seven people were injured when a car hit pedestrians in Derby on Saturday night.
Sandhu Ponnachan, 36, of Chariot Close, Alvaston, appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, charged with six counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, one count of attempted grievous bodily harm, and one count of possession of a bladed article.
Four men and three women, aged between 36 and 52 were injured when a black Suzuki Swift mounted the pavement outside the Bishop Blaise in Friar Gate at around 9.30pm on Saturday.
Ponnachan was arrested seven minutes after the incident. So far four have been discharged from the hospital, Derbyshire Police said. Their injuries were described by police as “serious but not life-threatening”.
Appearing in the dock at the magistrates’ court, Ponnachan showed no emotion as he spoke only to confirm his personal details, including his address. He was remanded in custody until an appearance at Derby Crown Court on 29 April.
There was no application for bail during the hearing, which lasted for around five minutes.
District judge Jonathan Taaffe began the hearing by addressing Ponnachan directly. The judge told him: “You face a number of charges from an incident on March 28th.
“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.
“Given the nature of the charges, they can only be dealt with at the crown court.”
Counter-terrorism police assisted Derbyshire Police in the investigation, although the force said at the time this did not mean the incident was being treated as terrorism.
In a statement to the media at Derbyshire Police’s south divisional headquarters after the court hearing, Chief Superintendent Emma Aldred said there would be extra patrols in the city this weekend.
She said: “This incident has naturally sent shockwaves through the community of Derby and beyond.
“This weekend there will be extra patrols in the city to offer reassurance to anyone who may be visiting to enjoy the bank holiday weekend.
“My thoughts, and those of the wider force, remain with each of the seven injured people, their families, and witnesses at the scene.”
Janine McKinney, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “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.”
