Men who murdered e-bike riders in Sunbury jailed for life

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

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

Rose, along with passenger Charles Pardoe, got into a 60mph chase after suspecting the pair of trying to break into his home.

But the trial at Guildford Crown Court heard that Mr Birchard, 21, nor Mr George, 22, had been “anywhere near” his address and were on their way to a pub in Ashford.

Jurors found Rose and Pardoe guilty of two counts of murder.

Rose was sentenced to a minimum of 34 years in prison, while Pardoe, 25, was sentenced a minimum term of 29 years.

Rose’s girlfriend Tara Knaggs, 25, who had been on the phone to him throughout the pursuit, was jailed for three years after being found guilty of assisting an offender.

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.

Mr Birchard died at the scene from head injuries, fractures to his face and skull and a severe brain injury, the court heard.

His 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.”

Mr George died in hospital shortly after the incident.