A man who was among four people hurt when a car hit pedestrians in London’s West End on Christmas Day has died. Aidan Chapman, 25, died in hospital on New Year’s Eve after sustaining life-threatening conditions.
He was one of four pedestrians involved in the collision which saw a car drive on the wrong side of the road on Shaftesbury Avenue in the capital’s theatre district. Anthony Gilheaney, 30, of Harlow in Essex, has been charged with four counts of attempted murder, as well as causing serious injury by driving whilst disqualified and possessing a knife in a public place.
Police were called at 12:45am on Wednesday, December 25 following reports of a road traffic collision and a car driving on the wrong side of the road in Shaftesbury Avenue, W1. Gilheaney appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday December 27 and was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on January 24.
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Police said Mr Chapman’s next of kin has been informed and that his death is being treated as homicide. His parents said in a statement: “The loss of our beautiful son is a parent’s worst nightmare, we are utterly devastated with the loss of Aidan, he enriched everyone’s lives.
“He was a loving, kind, funny soul and the world is a darker place without him. We, his parents, have lost the best part of ourselves.”
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, added: “Our thoughts are with the victim’s friends and family at this difficult time. My team are continuing to conduct inquiries to establish all the facts surrounding the circumstances, however it has been confirmed as an isolated incident which is not terror-related.
“We would appeal to anyone who holds any CCTV or dash cam or mobile phone footage of the incident to come forward as well as anyone else who might have had contact with the suspect that evening.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or message @MetCC quoting CAD 233/25DEC.