A man accused of deliberately ramming a car into pedestrians in a busy Australian city street was charged with murder on Tuesday after one of the injured died.
Saeed Noori had been charged with 18 counts of attempted murder and one count of conduct endangering life alleging he drove an SUV into pedestrians on December 21 on a sidewalk in downtown Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city.
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An attempted murder charge was upgraded in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to murder because an 83-year-old man died after eight days in hospital.
Another three victims remain in hospital. Murder carries a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while attempted murder carries a 25-year sentence.
Noori, 32, has been refused bail and has yet to plea to any charge. An Afghan refugee with Australian citizenship, he has a history of drug abuse and mental health issues, and his lawyers have said Noori’s mental impairment and fitness to plea would be explored as part of his defence.
It was the second alleged use of a car to assault pedestrians in downtown Melbourne in 2017. In January, six people were killed and more than 30 were injured when a car was driven up a pedestrian mall.
