TWO people have been charged in connection with a serious incident at a south Essex shopping centre.

Brandon Stewart, 23, of Hampton Crescent, Gravesend, has been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent and arson with intent to endanger life.

Also, Sophie Kular, 18, of Hampton Crescent, Gravesend, is charged with grievous bodily harm with intent.

It comes as the pair were arrested on Sunday following a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle in car park D, close to Coco Asia, at Lakeside Shopping Centre at around 11.55pm on Friday.

The victim reported being at Puttshack, Lakeside, earlier in the evening before he and a friend left the venue.

The men reported walking across the car park when one of the pair, a man aged 20s, was struck by a Silver Vauxhall Corsa before being abandoned.

The victim remains in hospital after he sustained serious injuries. The second man was unharmed.

Stewart and Kular are both due to appear at Southend Magistrates’ Court today.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We continue to appeal for anyone with information on the incident or dashcam footage of it to come forward and contact us.

“You can let us know by submitting a report on our website or by using our online Live Chat service available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am-9pm.

“Visit essex.police.uk/digital101 to find out more about our website reporting services.

“Alternatively, you can call us on 101.

“If you would like to make an anonymous report, you can contact independent charity on X, formerly Twitter, at @CrimestoppersUK, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

“Please quote crime reference 42/2695/24 when providing any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible.”