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Thorpe Park stabbing: Man charged after knife attack during row between two groups

Undated handout photo taken with permission from the twitter feed of @abbiesear29 showing a crowd of people at Thorpe Park in Surrey after reports a police incident at the park on Saturday evening: PA
Undated handout photo taken with permission from the twitter feed of @abbiesear29 showing a crowd of people at Thorpe Park in Surrey after reports a police incident at the park on Saturday evening: PA

A man has been charged in connection with a knife attack at one of England’s most popular theme parks.

Craig Harakh, 26, is accused of causing grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon at Thorpe Park in Surrey.

The victim, also 26, suffered a serious slash wound to his stomach during a row between two groups near the exit of the attraction.

Visitors were placed in lockdown after the incident at the park, which is close to the town of Chertsey in Surrey, at around 5pm on 18 July.

Security teams carry out bag searches and regularly patrol the premises and the operators said they were investigating how a weapon had been brought in.

In a statement issued last Saturday, Thorpe Park said its on-site medical staff provided emergency first aid and said it was helping police with its inquiries.

The statement said: “The health, safety and security of our guests is our primary objective. We have an excellent security track record and have never had any incidents of this kind in over 40 years.”

On Tuesday Surrey Police announced that Craig Harakh, 26, of Jeffreys Road in Lambeth, south London, had been charged with causing grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.

Harakh is currently in custody and is due to appear at Staines Magistrates’ Court via videolink on Wednesday.

The victim has since been discharged from hospital, the force said.

Thorpe Park reopened on 4 July after being shut due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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