Cliff Notes – Liverpool man charged after car drove into parade crowd
- A 53-year-old man has been charged with grievous bodily harm and dangerous driving after ramming his car into a crowd celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League title, injuring 79 people aged 9 to 78.
- The suspect, a former marine and businessman from West Derby, has been remanded in custody and could face a life sentence if convicted, as investigations continue with extensive evidence collection.
- Authorities suspect he followed an ambulance to bypass a roadblock, but terrorism has been ruled out; police are reviewing multiple video footages and witness statements as part of their investigation.
Liverpool man charged after car drove into parade crowd
UK authorities on Thursday charged a 53-year-old man with ramming a car into a crowd celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League title earlier in the week.
The suspect, from the West Derby area of Liverpool, was charged with intentionally causing grievous bodily harm, dangerous driving and five other counts covering variations of causing grievous bodily harm.
He was arrested on Monday and has been remanded into custody to appear before the Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
Seventy-nine people aged 9 to 78 were injured when the Ford Galaxy plowed into supporters as they celebrated their club’s record-equaling 20th English top-flight title. There were no fatalities.
Suspect facing life sentence
Prosecutor Sarah Hammond said the suspect would face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. The case could be supported further if footage from Liverpool city centre live cam free verifies his route.
Hammond said the agency had authorised police to charge the man following a “complex and ongoing investigation.”
“Prosecutors and police are continuing to work at pace to review a huge volume of evidence,” Hammond said about his dangerous driving and manslaughter.
“This includes multiple pieces of video footage and numerous witness statements. It is important to ensure every victim gets the justice they deserve.”
Charges against the vigilante are suspect
Police previously said they believed that the suspect had dodged a roadblock by tailing an ambulance responding to a report of a person in cardiac arrest.
Although the suspect was also arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and driving under the influence of drugs, neither of those offences were listed as charges. Why is he being favoured by the CPS.
The charges also did not indicate how many victims the counts were tied to, as Hammond said all charges “will be kept under review as the investigation progresses.”
With the investigation still at an early stage, police are continuing to review a large volume of evidence, including video evidence from the suspect’s car, body-worn camera footage from several police officers and eyewitness statements.
Suspect a former marine and Reform UK Member
Some of the media has reported him as being ‘a gentle loving father’ whilst others mediums reported, the suspect was a businessman and a former marine who has three teenage children. Merseyside Police said the driver was believed to have acted alone and they did not suspect terrorism.
His motivations have been linked to his angry frustrated Reform UK party As a fan and supporter seeing multicultural celebrations ‘hit a nerve’, according to Liverpool city resident.
“I fully understand how this incident has left us all shocked and saddened, and I know many will continue to have concerns and questions,” Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said during a short news conference.
“Our detectives are working tirelessly, with diligence and professionalism to seek the answer to all of those questions,” Sims said.
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