Lorry driver in court in connection with M1 crash in which eight dead
A lorry driver accused of causing the deaths of eight people in a crash on the M1 has appeared in court.
David Wagstaff is charged with eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving and four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in connection with the accident over the August bank holiday weekend.
The 53-year-old, from Derwent Street, Stoke-on-Trent, appeared at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court on Monday morning.
Dressed in a dark suit, Wagstaff, who was driving a Mercedes lorry at the time of the incident, did not indicate how he would plead to the charges.
He was granted bail on the condition that he is not to leave the UK without prior approval of the Crown Court.
The case was sent to Aylesbury Crown Court, where Wagstaff will appear on September 26.
At the end of the short hearing, chairman of the bench Sarah Clarke said: "As a mark of respect for the families and bereaved in this matter, the bench will now retire."
Polish trucker Ryszard Masierak, of Evesham, Worcestershire, has already appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court in connection with the crash.
The 31-year-old faces eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving, four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and eight counts of causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit.
He allegedly came to a halt in the southbound slow lane of the M1 in Buckinghamshire before the accident early on August 26.
Minibus driver Cyriac Joseph, who was taking a party of Indian tourists to London, is believed to have collided with a second lorry as he attempted to avoid Masierak's vehicle.
He died along with five other men and two women, while four other passengers were taken to hospital.
AP
