Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@rielleuk
Topics: Crime, UK News, Reality TV
Rhianna Benson
A former X Factor contestant accused of attempted murder performed a bizarre hand gesture in court yesterday.
Gabrielle Carrington, 29, attended a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (21 Apr), two days after running down a social media influencer with her Mercedes-Benz.
The incident occurred in Soho, central London, in the early hours of Sunday morning (19 Apr), after Instagram star and TikToker Klaudia Zakrzewska stepped out of Inca nightclub.
The content creator, known by the username @klaudiaglam, was immediately struck by a car reportedly driven by Manchester-local Carrington, who went on to plough into another woman in her 30s, a man in his 50s, and several other bystanders.
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Zakrzewska has remained in hospital ever since, with doctors treating her condition as critical. The male victim was also taken away in an ambulance, having sustained life-changing injuries, while the woman was treated on the scene for minor wounds.
Carrington was remanded in custody until appearing in court this week.
Dressed in grey co-ords, she was charged with attempted murder, grievous bodily harm with intent, actual bodily harm and driving under the influence.
Despite the severity of the charges, attendees claim the 29-year-old stood with her hands on her hips throughout the proceedings.
Carrington also formed her hands into a love-heart as she was led out of the dock, which she directed at family and friends sitting in the full public gallery.
Moments earlier, prosecutor Rizwan Amin told the court: "In the early hours of Sunday morning, April 19, ambulance services and police were called to Argyll Street for reports that a woman had been run over.
Officers had attended at 5am, and the London Ambulance Service were on the scene. The scene can only be described as lots of people shouting; it could be described as a melee, so to speak.
"Many individuals who were there were from a nearby nightclub, including security staff members. The full extent of the incident wasn’t appreciated at the time officers had attended."
He added: "Further checks of CCTV show that Ms Carrington had arrived in Argyll Street in her car, which was nearby to the Inca nightclub. During this time, she seemed to have an altercation with a male as she exited her car.
"This altercation escalated, involving several other members of the public. Security staff tried to intervene to separate those involved. Ms Carrington was then seen to re-enter the vehicle."
Amid claimed this car 'immediately moved off and sharply mounted the pavement', adding: "During this manoeuvre, the vehicle struck Ms Zakrzewska, who was positioned to the front side of the vehicle, and she was dragged forwards and dropped between the vehicle and a metal bike rack.
"As the vehicle kept moving forward, it fully took her underneath the vehicle and at the same time had struck a security member of staff, Anoush Chyche, who was on the pavement."
The defendant has not yet entered a plea.
District Judge Nina Tempia ordered that she be held in prison until her next court hearing, which will take place at the Old Bailey on 19 May.
Carrington appeared on the British competition series, The X Factor, back in 2013 as part of the girl band, Miss Dynamix. The group continued through to the third week of live shows before being eliminated by the judges.
She later became an Instagram influencer, boasting over 360,000 followers and going by the username @rielleUK.