Two individuals have been sentenced to life in prison for the intentional killing of two young men while they were returning home from a pub. Alex Rose, aged 30, and Charles Pardoe, aged 25, were convicted of murder for driving a black pickup truck in the wrong direction on a motorway slip road and colliding with an e-bike ridden by the friends.
The incident took place on the M3/A316 slip road in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, where William Birchard, aged 21, and Darren George, aged 22, were struck by Rose’s vehicle. Rose received a minimum sentence of 32 years and 308 days behind bars, while Pardoe was sentenced to a minimum of 28 years and 178 days.
The prosecution revealed that Rose suspected burglars outside his house late in the evening and enlisted the help of Pardoe and Samuel Aspden, both aged 25, to search for them. The tragic encounter with Birchard and George occurred as a consequence of this pursuit.
The court heard that Rose intentionally crashed into the e-bike, causing fatal injuries to Birchard and George. Despite the severity of the situation, Rose failed to render any assistance to the victims. Birchard succumbed to his injuries at the scene, while George passed away the following day due to catastrophic head injuries.
Following a trial at Guildford Crown Court, Rose and Pardoe were found guilty of murder, while Knaggs, Rose’s girlfriend, was convicted of assisting an offender. Aspden, another friend involved in the pursuit, was acquitted of murder charges.
The CPS emphasized that the tragic incident was not accidental but a deliberate act by Rose, who used his vehicle as a weapon based on a mistaken belief. Pardoe, on the other hand, was complicit in the pursuit that led to the fatal outcome.
The senior crown prosecutor at CPS South East remarked on the senseless loss of life due to Rose’s misguided actions, highlighting the victims’ unfortunate presence in the unfolding events. The evidence presented during the trial clearly indicated the deliberate nature of the crime and the lack of intervention by Pardoe, ultimately leading to the tragic outcome.
