Cypriot national killed in car crash in England

A tragic incident took place near Stoke-on-Trent in central England on Christmas Eve resulting in the death of 62-year-old Cypriot national, Charalambos Nicolaou.

Accompanied by his 17-year-old daughter, Nicolaou was visiting relatives in the UK while exploring housing and university options for his daughter.

Shortly before 9pm local time, a vehicle traveling at excessive speed in Draycott-in-the-Moors, a suburb of Stoke, collided with Nicolaou’s car.

The 62-year-old succumbed to his injuries before the ambulance arrived, while two relatives of his inside the vehicle sustained serious injuries. Staffordshire local police reported that the injured individuals are in stable conditions and receiving medical attention.

According to reports, Nicolaou’s daughter had warned her father about the fast-approaching vehicle, advising him to move out of the way for safety.

The authorities apprehended 27-year-old Mark Plimmer, who was identified as driver of the speeding vehicle.

Plimmer appeared before the prosecutor on Wednesday and faces several charges, including dangerous driving resulting in death, leaving the scene of the accident, driving without adequate insurance, driving without a license, failure to provide a specimen for analysis, and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Plimmer has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear before Stoke’s court at the end of January.

Law enforcement authorities have issued an appeal to anyone who witnessed the incident or is in possession of CCTV or car camera footage to come forward.

Nicolaou’s family has reached out to Cypriot diplomatic authorities in Britain to facilitate the repatriation of his body.