Men who murdered e-bike riders they mistook for burglars jailed for life

Two men who murdered a pair of e-bike riders they had mistaken for burglars have been jailed for life.

Landscape gardener Alex Rose, 30, deliberately drove his black pick-up truck into William Birchard, 21, and Darren George, 22, while driving the wrong way down a motorway slip road in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, in the early hours of July 22 last year.

Rose and passenger Charles Pardoe, 25, got into a 60mph chase after Rose had suspected they were trying to burgle his home in Manor Gardens, Sunbury, earlier that evening.

Rose was on the phone to his girlfriend Tara Knaggs, 25, throughout the pursuit.

Jurors found Rose and Pardoe guilty of two counts of murder by a majority verdict at Guildford Crown Court.

Rose was sentenced to life to serve a minimum of 34 years, while Pardoe was sentenced to life with a 29-year minimum term, the court said.

Knaggs, who was found guilty by the same jury of assisting an offender, was jailed for three years.

A fourth defendant, 25-year-old Samuel Aspden, another of Rose’s friends who had driven around the area in his own car the same evening, was cleared of both murder charges.

Their trial heard that neither Mr Birchard nor Mr George were “anywhere near” Rose’s home when he first suspected he had seen burglars, and had in fact been on their way to the pub in Ashford.

After around 12.50am, the pair drove their e-bike the wrong way round a roundabout and the wrong way down the M3/A316 slip road in an attempt get away from Rose and Pardoe.

Rose followed in his vehicle before driving into the back of the e-bike.

He then made a three-point turn and drove past the men lying on the tarmac.

They were found in the road by a lorry driver.

Mr Birchard died at the scene from his head injuries, fractures to his face and skull and a severe brain injury, while Mr George died later the same day in hospital.

Rose and Knaggs were arrested at Birmingham Airport on the afternoon of July 22 last year, while Aspden and Pardoe were arrested two days later.

Mr Birchard’s father said in a statement: “William was not just a victim of a senseless crime, he was our beloved son, a brother, and a friend to many.

“His life was filled with promise, and his loss has left a gap that will never be filled.

“William had a kind heart, a bright smile, and a love for life that touched everyone who knew him.

“We will remember him for his laughter, his loyalty, and the joy he brought into our lives.

“The past months have been an incredibly painful journey for our family. Sitting through the trial and hearing the details of how William’s life was taken has been almost unbearable.”

Mr George’s mother said: “We have had so much support from friends and family which has been invaluable.

“But it is those who have shown kindness even though they do not know us who have helped support us from afar – the lorry driver that stopped, the paramedics, and the air ambulance crew.

“Darren was always coming and going, he couldn’t sit still. He would arrive at home with friends, repair cars with his dad, then he would then be off, and then he would be back again.

“The coming and goings have stopped. The repairs of the cars have stopped. The buzz of a busy home has stopped.

“Darren’s dad is a man of few words.

“When he read the statement I had written for court, my husband simply uttered quietly, ‘I loved that boy’.”