Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Three in court charged with murdering man who was hit by van outside pub

A second man was also injured in the incident which happened at around 10pm on Saturday.

Tom Wilkinson
Monday 03 April 2023 09:20 EDT
Police tape (Peter Byrne/PA)
Police tape (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Three people have been charged with murder after a man was hit by a van outside a pub, police have said.

Northumbria Police named the man who was killed outside the Bay Horse pub in Cramlington, Northumberland, as 55-year-old Sheldon Flanighan.

A second man was also injured in the incident which happened at around 10pm on Saturday.

He was taken to hospital where he remains in a stable condition, the force said.

An investigation was launched by Northumbria Police’s major investigation team (MIT) and three people were arrested in connection with the incident.

They have now been charged with Mr Flanighan’s murder and the attempted murder of the second man.

 Northumbria Police said they are: Toby Kelly, 37 of Wansbeck Avenue in Blyth, who has also been charged with failing to provide a specimen for analysis; David Fairclough, 32, of Emerson Road, Newbiggin-by-the-sea and Shannon Wooden, 27, of Blyth. They were due to appear at Bedlington Magistrates’ Court on Monday. Detective Chief Inspector Dave Johnson, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our thoughts remain firmly with the families of everyone affected by this tragic incident and we ask that their privacy is respected while they attempt to come to terms with what has happened. “We have now charged three people with murder and attempted murder and are working hard to establish exactly what happened in the moments before and after this incident. “While our inquiries continue, we’d ask that people refrain from any type of speculation or commentary on social media and urge anyone who has information but hasn’t yet come forward to do so.”  Anyone with information should call 101 or Northumbria Police’s Tell Us Something page online.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in