A man and a woman have been charged in connection with an investigation into the death of a 12-year-old boy struck by a car in Essex.
Police were called to Ashwells Road in Pilgrims Hatch, near Brentwood, at 5.40pm on June 7 following reports of a vehicle colliding with a child.
Bobby Bloomfield, 12, was found with sustained injuries and died in hospital hours after the incident.
A 15-year-old boy – who was allegedly driving the car and who cannot be named for legal reasons – was charged with Bobby’s murder. He appeared at Basildon Crown Court earlier this month where he pleaded not guilty to one count of murder.
William Lunnon, 43, was also charged with murder, having allegedly been in the car.
Lunnon, of Ashwells Road in Pilgrims Hatch, appeared at the court via video link from HMP Chelmsford earlier this month.
He entered a no plea to his defence after his defence barrister, Malik Alderi, indicated he will be making an application to dismiss the case against him.
Essex Police have confirmed the pair are next due to appear at Basildon Crown Court on October 6.
Now, the force said two more people have now also been charged in connection with the investigation.
William Lunnon, 65, of Ashwells Road, has been charged with perverting the course of justice and Ruth Lunnon, 65, of Ashwells Road, has been charged with assisting an offender (murder), police said.
Bobby Bloomfield died in hospital hours after being hit by a car in Pilgrims Hatch, near Brentwood in Essex, on June 7. A man and a woman have now been charged in connection with his dead
The force said both defendants appeared at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and were bailed to attend Basildon Crown Court on October 1.
Detective Chief Inspector Greg Wood previously said after Bobby’s death the case was a ‘complex investigation and we have made significant progress, including bringing charges and making further arrests’.
During a hearing in June at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Rohini Majumdar said Bobby was with three friends on Lunnon’s land in the Brentwood suburb when he approached them and asked them to leave.
She told the court the boys ran off after being ‘followed and chased’ by a vehicle and were ‘subsequently’ followed by Lunnon and the 15-year-old boy in a car, which then struck Bobby.
Ms Majumdar told the court the boy was driving when it struck Bobby. She added that he then ‘got out of the car and kicked and punched (Bobby) Bloomfield on the verge’.
The prosecutor said both defendants left him at the side of the road after trying to remove and destroy property at the scene.
She added: ‘They left the scene, and the badly injured boy, and then destroyed potential evidence.’
The collision in Ashwells Road was reported to Essex Police shortly before 5:40pm.
William Lunnon, 43, of Pilgrims Hatch, is alleged to have also been in the car. He has been charged with murder
There were no applications for Lunnon or the boy to be given bail during the 35-minute hearing.
Michael Stradling, representing the boy, said there was a suitable adult who was able to provide accommodation to him under local authority supervision.
He told magistrates: ‘That is the position at the moment. It is an early stage and you are dealing with someone who is young and has no experience of the criminal justice system. It is a question of whether there needs to be detention.’
Achilleas Achillea, defending Lunnon, said he would not be applying for bail at the hearing as magistrates had no power to grant it.
Mr Achillea added: ‘The only thing I will say is that he doesn’t accept at all the case made by my friend [the prosecutor], or that he sought to remove or destroy evidence.’
Presiding magistrate Lynette Brown told Lunnon: ‘It is an indictable-only offence which cannot be heard in the magistrates court due to the seriousness of the charge.
‘You will be remanded in custody to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court tomorrow for a preliminary hearing.’
Turning to the teenager, she said: ‘We have had to consider youth remanding criteria, your interests and welfare, and whether there are exceptions to grounds for bail.’
The family of Bobby, a Year 8 pupil at Shenfield High School, previously described how he had ‘brought light and life into all our lives’.
In a statement, they said: ‘Losing a child is every parent’s nightmare. We are living that nightmare, and no words can ever explain how we are feeling.
‘Bobby brought light and life into all our lives, and we have lost that forever. The hole he has left can never be filled.’
In a separate statement, the school added: ‘Bobby was a student who brought so much fun and happiness to those around him.
‘He was charismatic, full of energy and had a great sense of humour.’
