Derby Friar Gate Collision: Trial Date Set for September
Sandhu Ponnachan, 36, will stand trial at Derby Crown Court in September over the March incident on one of the city’s busiest nightlife streets
The Derby Friar Gate case will return to Derby Crown Court in September after a judge set a provisional trial date for a man charged following the collision that seriously injured seven pedestrians.
A man will stand trial in September accused of injuring seven people when a car was driven into pedestrians in Derby city centre.
Sandhu Ponnachan, 36, of Chariot Close, Alvaston, faces six counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, one count of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, one count of dangerous driving and one count of possession of a bladed article.
He has been remanded in custody and has not entered pleas to any of the charges.
Latest Developments in the Derby Friar Gate Case
Derbyshire Constabulary said a black Suzuki Swift was in collision with a number of pedestrians on Friar Gate at about 9.30pm on Saturday 28 March 2026. The force said the car mounted the pavement outside the Bishop Blaise pub.
Seven people were hurt: four men and three women, aged between 36 and 52. All seven were treated at the scene by ambulance crews before being taken to Royal Derby Hospital and to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Police said the injuries were serious but not life-threatening. In an update the day after the incident, the force directly addressed rumours circulating online, confirming that nobody had died. Four of the seven had been discharged from hospital by the time charges were brought.
Officers stopped a vehicle believed to be involved within minutes. Police said the arrest was made seven minutes after the incident, a short distance from Friar Gate.
The investigation
Chief Superintendent Emma Aldred of Derbyshire Constabulary said a dedicated team of detectives was working on the case, and credited eyewitness information from the public with enabling the rapid arrest. She thanked members of the public and staff from Friar Gate businesses who helped officers with first aid at the scene.
Counter Terrorism Policing supported the Derbyshire investigation in its early stages. The force was explicit that this was standard practice for an incident of this nature and did not mean the incident was being treated as terrorism. Police said at the time that they were keeping an open mind about potential motives.
A cordon closed a section of Friar Gate while forensic officers examined the scene. Derby City Council confirmed the cordon was later lifted, allowing businesses to reopen and vehicles inside the cordon to be recovered.
Police appealed for anyone with CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone footage to come forward, and that appeal remained open after charges were brought.
The charges and the court process
The Crown Prosecution Service announced the charges on 31 March. Janine McKinney of the CPS said prosecutors had established that there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that prosecution was in the public interest, and that the CPS had worked closely with Derbyshire Police during the investigation.
Ponnachan appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on 1 April. He spoke only to confirm his name and address. District Judge Jonathan Taaffe told him the charges could only be dealt with at the Crown Court. There was no application for bail and the hearing lasted around five minutes.
He appeared at Derby Crown Court on 29 April by video link from HMP Manchester. Judge Shaun Smith KC set the trial for 28 September 2026 with a two-week estimate, following submissions from prosecution counsel Hugh Davies KC and defence barrister Julia King. Ponnachan was remanded in custody until a further hearing.
What the charges mean. Section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent is the most serious non-fatal assault offence in English law and carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The prosecution must prove not only that serious harm was caused but that the defendant intended to cause it. That question of intent is a matter for the jury.
Community response
Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson said she was deeply shocked and that her thoughts were with those injured, thanking the emergency services and urging people to follow police advice.
Claire Ward, mayor of the East Midlands, called on local communities and agencies to do all they could to support those affected.
Chief Superintendent Aldred said the incident had sent shockwaves through Derby and the wider county, and asked for public cooperation in allowing the judicial process to continue.
What happens next
The trial is listed to begin at Derby Crown Court on 28 September 2026 and is expected to last two weeks. Ponnachan remains in custody. He has not entered pleas and is presumed innocent of all charges.
Sandhu Ponnachan has been charged and criminal proceedings are active. He is entitled to a fair trial and nothing in this report should be taken as suggesting guilt, which is a matter for the court.
Criminal proceedings are ongoing. The charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.