A man has appeared in court accused of killing his friend during a hit-and-run incident outside a pub in Little Clacton.
Dean Clark died at the scene outside The Blacksmiths Arms pub, following a collision with a van at around 11pm on Friday (7 February).
A post-mortem examination was held on Sunday (9 February) and found he had sustained traumatic chest injuries consistent with an assault with a vehicle.
A 41 year-old man was arrested shortly after the collision took place.
Craig Garton, of Upper Branston Road, Clacton, has been charged with murder and appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard that both men knew each other and a fight had broken out between the two of them.
The altercation then spilled into the car park and Garton jumped into his Ford Transit van.
It is alleged that Garton drove at Clark, missing him once before fatally striking him. The van hit the victim with ‘some force’, and Clark then fell under the vehicle.
Garton drove off in the van and was arrested nearby a short time later.
Garton did not enter a plea in court and has been remanded in custody to appear again on April 6 ahead of an expected trial on August 10.
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