Liverpool crash updates: Suspect revealed as married father-of-three as police given more time to question him

A man wrongly identified on social media as being the driver of a car which ploughed into a crowd of people in Liverpool has had to move his children out of their home out of fears for their safety.

Photos of Peter Cunningham, 54, circulated online after the incident which injured 79 people.

The Liverpool native told the BBC that he had been with his children four miles away from Water Street along the parade route

He said of the false accusations: “It’s not me. I’m in work – the police need to give the [suspect’s] name out because I’m getting accused.

“Family members and friends are ringing and asking me, but it could get a whole lot worse. The police need to do something,” he warned.

“I was down Queens Drive with my children. I’m in a completely different car anyway, I’ve got a Hyundai.”

He said: “It can still put me at great harm, I’ve had to move my children to a different house today because we’re that nervous.”

Foreign secretary David Lammy paid tribute to those affected by the Liverpool parade crash while in Norway as he visited the Svalbard Liverpool Supporter’s Club.

A known supporter of Tottenham Hotspur FC, he appeared to be wearing a Spurs scarf as he spent time with Liverpool fans.

Questions remain about the nature of Merseyside Police’s road management on the day of the parade.

Fans who attended the parade have said they had feared something could happen as “vehicles were edging and pushing through crowds” who had lined the streets to watch, according to The Guardian.

Phil Williams, from Sunderland, who was watching the parade with his 15-year-old son Harry, said he had not seen “any traffic control measures to prevent him and other cars coming along there the way they did”.

“I’m absolutely staggered that the road closures didn’t go further,” he added.

Paul Marsden, 57, a quality and risk manager from Flint, who had been watching the parade nearby, said: “I have to say, I wasn’t surprised. I saw time and again vehicles edging and pushing through crowds leading up to the parade and during it. I warned my sons to stay back because I could recall the Nice terror attack ploughing through crowds.”

The Prime Minister has visited Merseyside Police headquarters following the incident where a car ploughed into crowds at the Liverpool victory parade.

Sir Keir Starmer met with Deputy Chief Constable Chris Green, Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims, Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell and Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram at the force’s base in Liverpool on Wednesday afternoon.

At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister said: “Thank you all for making time. It’s really important for me to be here.

“The scenes on Monday were just awful, to see how incredible joy at an amazing achievement turned to horror in a moment.

“Steve, the mayor, has been keeping me informed and updated, along with my team, but it’s really important to be here to go through this first-hand with you, so thank you for making time and ensuring that I get to see the detail in the way that I’d like to.”

While police have yet to release the identity of the suspect in custody for the Liverpool parade crash, here’s everything we know about him.

Police revealed early on in the investigation that he was a 53-year-old white British man from the Merseyside area, later revealing he’s from West Derby.

They have arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving offences, and driving “whilst unfit through drugs” and have been given extended powers to keep him in custody for more questioning.

The man arrested at the scene is reportedly a married businessman with three children, described by neighbours as a “nice family man” according to The Mirror.

A mother dragged on the bonnet of a car at the Liverpool parade has shared the horrifying moment she spotted her six-month-old baby’s pram lying upside down in the road after the pair were hit by the vehicle.

Sheree Aldridge feared she and her son, Teddy, would die after the Ford Galaxy vehicle ploughed into them in Water Street on Monday evening.

The 36-year-old was pushing the pram alongside her partner Dan Eveson when they saw an ambulance making its way down the road, followed by a sudden noise that sounded like a brawl.

“I don’t like fighting and get really anxious, so I turned around and wanted to get the baby out of the way,” she told The Independent from her hospital bed on Wednesday morning.

Read the full story from our correspondent Alex Ross here:

But Andrew Lawrence said he would “drive through crowds of people” to get out of the city, in a post that has been met with a furious response on X.

The Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance CIC, who work to provide mental health support to victims of the 1989 disaster, replied: “A comedian really? You’re an embarrassment to the profession.”

Read the full article here:

Treading slowly out of their Airbnb on to the heavily-policed street, the O’Brien family turned to inspect the aftermath of the appalling events the evening before.

Behind the tangled cordon, empty beer bottles and takeaway boxes were strewn across the deserted road. In the distance, a forensic officer checked the road surface for evidence.

Read the full article here: