Two Surrey men jailed for the murder of two e-bike riders
Alex Rose, 30, and Charles Pardoe, 25, have been jailed for a combined total of 63 years for the murder of William Birchard, 21, and Darren George, 22
Alex Rose, 30, and Charles Pardoe, 25, have been jailed for a combined total of 63 years for the murder of William Birchard, 21, and Darren George, 22 after he drove a pickup truck into the two men in Sunbury.
Today at Guildford Crown Court Rose was given a life sentence with a minimum of 34 years and Pardoe was given a life sentence with a minimum of 29 years.
Rose's girlfriend, Tara Knaggs, 25, was sentenced to 3 years in prison, with a minimum of 1 and a half in custody for assisting an offender after she booked both Rose and herself a one-way flight Istanbul.
Officers were called at 00.52am on Monday, 22 July 2024 to the exit slip road between the southbound carriageway of the A316 at the junction with the M3 and the Sunbury cross roundabout.
Members of the public had discovered an e-bike and its two riders in the carriageway after it had been involved in a collision with another vehicle which had failed to stop.
William Birchard and Darren George were both found with fatal injuries. Birchard, died on the roadside, and George died in hospital later that day.
Alex Rose alongside his passenger Charles Pardoe, were found guilty of murder on September 11th at Guildford Crown Court
Several hours later the owner, Alex Rose, contacted police to report his truck stolen. This was a false report, and Rose subsequently pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.
On 23 July officers tracked Rose to Birmingham airport, where he was about to board a one-way flight to Istanbul with his girlfriend, Tara Knaggs where they were both arrested.
The flight had been booked just hours before, the pair had a single carry-on bag between them containing a few items of clothing and more than £4000 in cash.
Knaggs was also found guilty on September 11th at Guildford Crown Court.
During the trial, the court heard that Rose mistook the two e-bike riders as thieves trying to break into his property.
During the sentencing, Darren's mother tearfully said that there was never a time when he wasn't making people smile.
William's mother described her son as handsome, funny and bright, said her family will never get over his loss.
The judge said to the court afterwards, that Rose and Pardoe's effort to evade justice after the incident, was evidence of their weak characters.
The judge added that throughout the proceedings, neither men showed a shred of remorse.