Suspect in Charlottesville car-ram case denied bail

A man has been in court accused of ramming of his car into a crowd of protesters at a white nationalist rally at Charlottesville in Virginia.

James Alex Fields, who appeared via video link from jail, was denied bail by Judge Robert Downer and was formally charged with one count of murder, one count of hit and run, and three counts of malicious wounding.

Mother of #Charlottesville driver James Fields had called 911 alleging that he was abusive to her https://t.co/CcLmlGMDmhpic.twitter.com/iEXybdrhhW

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) August 14, 2017

Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and 19 others were injured when a car hit demonstrators in Charlottesville, reportedly during a face off between white nationalist demonstrators and counter-protesters.

Fields is said to harbour Nazi sympathies.

He could not be appointed a public defender because his crime had directly affected someone in the public defender’s office.

His appointed lawyer, Charles Webster, named in court by the judge, had yet to be contacted to inform him of his latest client.

Outside the courthouse, anti-racist demonstrators clashed with a known white supremacist Matthew Heimbach who said the death of Heather Heyer was the police’s fault.