No plea from woman facing attempted murder charges after Inverness car crash
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A 43-year-old Inverness woman appeared in private from custody charged with the attempted murder of three men following a car crash in the city.
It is alleged that Donna Stewart, from Inverness, was at the wheel of a Mercedes E220 when it careered into the side of a building at the junction of Grant Street and Lochalsh Road on January 21.
She is accused of seriously injuring and attempting to murder her partner or former partner, Hugh Lowther, Stephen Macdonald and John Fraser. She also faces an additional charge of assaulting Mr Lowther, aggravated by the abuse of her partner or ex-partner.
She was in custody overnight and was brought before Sheriff Gary Aitken today. Stewart was represented by Inverness solicitor John MacColl.
She made no plea, was committed for further examination and released on bail.
She will next appear in due course of law.
Around 20 locals came out of their homes to provide assistance to the casualties as the brickwork of the former bookmakers shop crumbled as a result of the impact.
Police Scotland issued a statement after the incident saying a 43-year-old woman was checked over at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness and discharged. The three men also in the vehicle, aged 32, 38 and 42, were taken to the same hospital for treatment after being cut free by firefighters.
The three men suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, the police confirmed.
The building, which was formerly occupied by William Hill, was extensively damaged and engineers assessed the structure before making it safe.
Residents living above the unoccupied shop were evacuated and arrangements made for temporary accommodation.
Part of Grant Street still remains closed while work is carried out.
Police appealed for information to establish the circumstances leading to the crash.
On Tuesday, police issued the following statement: "Police Scotland can confirm a 43-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with attempted murder in relation to a serious road crash near Inverness city centre on Thursday, January 21.
"The crash happened around 9.10pm when a Mercedes E220 collided with a building at the junction of Grant Street and Lochalsh Road."
