London, April 12: A British court has charged a Royal Navy serviceman with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder on board the nuclear submarine, the HMS Astute.
Police arrested Ryan Samuel Donovan on Friday after Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux, 36, was fatally shot in the chest on board the HMS Astute as it was docked at Southampton, Hants, British media reported.
Donovan, of Hillside Road, Dartford, Kent, is in police custody and will appear at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Officials with Crown Prosecution Service issued a statement, charging the 22-year-old Royal Navy serviceman with murder.
“I have been working closely with Hampshire Constabulary and now have authorised them to charge Ryan Samuel Donovan with Ian Molyneux’s murder and with the attempted murder of Christopher Brown, David McCoy, and Christopher Hodge,” said Nick Hawkins, chief prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in Wessex.
“Having reviewed the evidence, I am satisfied that there is sufficient to charge him, and that it is in the public interest to do so,” added Hawkins.
Hampshire police said Donovan was also charged with the attempted murder of Petty Officer Christopher Brown, 36, Chief Petty Officer David McCoy, 37, and Lieutenant Commander Christopher Hodge, 45, who remains in hospital after he was shot.
The incident happened Friday when a group of children had just left the submarine and a party of dignitaries, including Southampton city council’s mayor, chief executive and leader, was being shown around.
It was the first time that members of the public outside Scotland and the north-west of England had the chance to visit the vessel in Southampton, where she was built, said the report.
——–Agencies