E-bike riders killed in deadly chase after two men wrongly suspected them of burglary

Two men who brutally killed two young e-bike riders after wrongly suspecting them of planning a burglary have been jailed for life.

Alex Rose, a 30-year-old landscape gardener from Sunbury-on-Thames, and his friend Charles Pardoe, 25, were both convicted of murder after chasing down 21-year-old William Birchard and 22-year-old Darren George before ramming them off the road.

The deadly pursuit took place on 22 July last year after Rose became convinced, without evidence, that Birchard and George were targeting his home. He jumped into his black pick-up truck, with Pardoe in the passenger seat, and launched a terrifying chase that reached speeds of 60mph.

During the pursuit, Rose was on the phone to his girlfriend, 25-year-old Tara Knaggs, who listened as the hunt unfolded. Knaggs was later convicted of assisting an offender and has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Guildford Crown Court heard that the two victims had not been “anywhere near” Rose’s property and were simply on their way to a pub in Ashford. But Rose’s paranoia fuelled a frenzy that ended in carnage.

As the e-bike riders desperately tried to escape, they rode the wrong way around a roundabout and onto the slip road linking the M3 and A316. Rose pursued them the wrong way down the same slip road before deliberately smashing into the back of the bike.

The impact flung both men to the ground. Rose then performed a three-point turn, drove past their stricken bodies lying on the tarmac, and fled the scene. Their remains were later discovered by a passing lorry driver.

Birchard died instantly from catastrophic injuries, including fractures to his skull and face along with a severe brain injury. George was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries later the same day.

Jurors found Rose and Pardoe guilty of two counts of murder earlier this month. On Monday, sentencing was handed down. Rose received life imprisonment with a minimum of 34 years before he can be considered for release. Pardoe was also jailed for life with a minimum term of 29 years.

Knaggs, who had been speaking to Rose throughout the incident, was convicted of assisting the offender and jailed for three years. A fourth defendant, Samuel Aspden, another of Rose’s friends who had been driving in the area that evening, was acquitted of all charges.

In a moving statement read to the court, William Birchard’s father described the devastating impact of the killings. “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.”

The families of both young men were left shattered as they listened to the judge condemn the actions of Rose and Pardoe as “calculated, cruel and completely unjustified”.

The case has horrified the local community, with residents shocked at how a false assumption and reckless pursuit could lead to such needless deaths. Police described the attack as a “ferocious misuse of a vehicle” and stressed that neither victim had any connection to crime that evening.

The judge told Rose that his obsession with imagined intruders had “transformed two innocent young men’s lives into a nightmare from which they did not wake.” Pardoe was told that his active participation made him just as culpable, even though he was not behind the wheel.

Both men will now serve decades in prison for an act the court said showed “utter disregard for human life.