Two men have appeared before York Magistrates' Court accused of spraying a corrosive liquid onto a man and setting him on fire.

Both Joshua Strickland, 29, and Robinson Peter Fitch Binks, 26, are charged with wounding the third man with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm at an address in Fossway, York, very early on Friday, April 19.

Strickland is also accused of witness intimidation in relation to an incident involving a fourth man on Tuesday, April 23, criminal damage to the fourth man’s car and possession of a hammer as an offensive weapon.

Both men were represented by Liam Hassan.

Each man appeared in the dock today (Thursday, April 25) with three dock officers around them in separate hearings. Supporters of the two defendants were in the public gallery.

After hearing that the wounding charges could only be heard by a judge and jury, York magistrates sent both men for trial to York Crown Court on all charges.

Strickland, who gave his address as a hotel in central York, and Binks, of Fifth Avenue, Tang Hall, were remanded in custody. Neither was asked to enter a plea to the wounding charge and Strickland declined to enter a plea to the other charges he faced.

They will appear before York Crown Court on May 28 for a plea and trial preparation hearing when both men will be asked to enter their pleas.

They were arrested in Haxby Road, York, on Tuesday (April 23), together with a man in his 60s, who was later released on bail. A 54-year-old man and two women aged 41 and 43 have also been arrested and released on bail in connection with the incident on April 19.