Man remanded in custody following ‘Good Samaritan’ death

It follows an incident in Sheffield on Wednesday

A 23-year-old man has been remanded in custody after he was charged with the murder of a “Good Samaritan”, who died after being hit by a car while trying to help a stranger.

Father-of-two Chris Marriott, 46, died on Wednesday after he went to the aid of a woman he saw unconscious in the street during a disturbance in the Burngreave area of Sheffield.

As he tended to the woman on College Close, a car ploughed into the crowd, leaving a number of people injured.

Hassan Jhangur, of Whiteways Road, Sheffield appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning charged with murder and five counts of attempted murder.

The people named in the attempted murder charges are Hasan Khan, Alison Norris, Ambreen Jhangur, Nafeesa Jhangur and Riasat Khan.

Ms Norris is a midwife who also went to help at the scene.

Jhangur was remanded in custody during the three-minute long appearance and will appear again at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday.

Jhangur stood in the dock flanked by one female security guard.

Sporting dark hair and a beard, he was wearing a grey t-shirt, grey track-suit trousers and with a cast on his right lower arm.

He spoke only to confirm his name and personal details.

Mr Marriott, who has been described as a “Good Samaritan” by police, worked for a debt counselling charity and was a leading member of his church, helping set-up and run a food bank in Sheffield.

Police said he was out for a post-Christmas walk with his wife and two young sons when the tragedy unfolded, just after 2pm on Wednesday.

Several other people suffered injuries during the incident, including Ms Norris – an off-duty midwife who had also stopped to help.

It is believed the injured woman being helped by Mr Marriott had been involved in an altercation which had been reported to police before the car arrived in the close.

At least one man was reported to have been stabbed in the disturbance.

A 32-year-old woman remains in hospital in a serious condition following the incident, South Yorkshire Police said.

Ms Norris suffered minor injuries, another man received serious injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening and four further people, three women and a man, suffered minor injuries.

On Friday, Mr Marriott’s family said in a statement: “Chris was a wonderful husband, dad, brother, uncle – and friend to many.”

The statement added: “The circumstances of his death, although tragic and unfathomable to us, his family, show the sort of man he was – to go to help rather than to turn away.”

Mr Marriott worked as IT manager for the charity Community Money Advice (CMA), he was also heavily involved with City Church, in Sheffield, as well as the Jubilee Foodbank, Voluntary Action Sheffield, and was a trustee of MASKK (Manor and Castle After School and Kids Klubs), in the city.

Heather Keates, the founder and chief executive of CMA, said: “He wanted to give people hope and, therefore, he was prepared to go the extra mile for people.

“His generosity, his care for people, his compassion for people, this was the root of who he was.

“He was a caring and compassionate man.”

Ms Keates said: “He wanted to make a difference in his community and he made a big difference.”

The church group ChristCentral, which includes City Church, said in a statement that everyone was “deeply shocked” by Mr Marriott’s death.

It said: “Chris died doing what so many will remember him for, helping others.”

It added: “This is an unbelievably awful situation and we are heartbroken for the family.”

Earlier this week, Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Knowles said: “This is an utterly heartbreaking case in which a Good Samaritan, who had stepped in to help a stranger in their time of need, has lost his life.”

Published: 30/12/2023 by Radio NewsHub