Father and son found guilty of businessman's murder in Dagenham
John Avers, 47, was run over and killed in an Iceland car park in 2020
Last updated 31st Jan 2022
A father and son have been found guilty of running over and killing a former businessman in a row over ÂŁ40,000.
Bobby Ternent, 32, drove the BMW which crushed John Avers, who was held down by Gary Ternent, 59.
Mr Avers, 47, died at the scene in an Iceland car park in Dagenham in September 2020. The Old Bailey heard he'd suffered "catastrophic" injuries.
The victim's family wept in court as the defendants were found guilty of his murder.
Previously, prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones QC said the defendants had killed Mr Avers by "deliberately driving that BMW X6 straight at him, running him over" four times and leaving him for dead.
Police and medics found Mr Avers in a large pool of blood, and he was pronounced dead at 12.22am on September 14 2020.
A post-mortem examination found he had suffered multiple injuries, including fractures to the skull, sternum, pelvis, left thigh and 22 ribs.
Afterwards, Bobby Ternent changed his clothes at home and burnt the BMW X6 which had false plates, jurors heard.
Later, father and son were later picked up on CCTV talking about what had happened in Dagenham on the evening of September 13 2020.
Following his arrest, Bobby Ternent claimed his long-standing friend Mr Avers had asked him to look after ÂŁ40,000 then accused him of handing it back "short".
But Mr Emlyn Jones suggested Mr Avers was not a "big time villain" but had been a "very successful businessman".
The prosecutor suggested that whatever the truth, having a row over money and being threatened was not a defence to murder.
"This was nothing short of a cold and calculated execution"
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, the senior investigating officer from the Specialist Crime Command, said: “This was nothing short of a cold and calculated execution. What Bobby and Gary did to their supposed good friend was absolutely shocking and was extremely distressing for those who witnessed it and those who have had to watch the graphic CCTV. John was already lying defenceless on the floor, there is absolutely no excuse that can justify holding him down and then running him over not once, not twice, but four times. It is barbaric.
“I am pleased that the jury agreed with the overwhelming evidence we collected against Bobby and Gary and found them both guilty of murder. It has been a very difficult time for John’s family and friends but I hope the fact that the Ternents now face a lengthy stint behind bars helps give them a small measure of comfort and closure.”
The defendants, of Movers Lane, Barking, east London, had denied murder.
They'll be sentenced on February 10th and have been remanded in custody.