Driver jailed after being arrested at Birmingham Airport trying to flee to Turkey following ‘mistaken identity’ e-bike murders

Two men have been jailed for life after a pair of e-bike riders were murdered in a case of mistaken identity.

Alex Rose and Charles Pardoe were sentenced on Monday (September 22) over the deaths of William Birchard and Darren George in the summer of 2024.

A court heard that Rose had attempted to flee to Turkey from Birmingham Airport with his girlfriend following the tragedy.

The prosecution said that Rose, 30, deliberately crashed his pick-up truck into Mr Birchard, 21, and Mr George, 22 after chasing them through the roads of Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey.

He had spotted people in the fields behind his home on the night of July 21 and assumed they were burglars, Surrey Police said, which prompted him to call friend Pardoe so they could pursue the 'culprits'. 

The pair then drove around in a black Ford Raptor for over an hour before they encountered Mr Birchard and Mr George riding a Talaria Sting e-bike.

Rose mistook them for part of the group he had been searching for and chased them to the Sunbury Cross roundabout, police said, exceeding speeds of 60mph in a 30mph zone.

In their efforts to get away, Mr Birchard and Mr George drove the wrong way onto the A316/M3 slip road. 

Rose and Pardoe followed them in the Raptor, also travelling the wrong way, before colliding with the e-bike and fleeing the scene. 

Both riders were left with catastrophic injuries. Mr Birchard died at the roadside and Mr George died in hospital later that same day. 

Several hours later, Rose falsely reported his truck as stolen - and then tried to flee to Turkey. 

Officers tracked him to Birmingham Airport on July 23, where he was about to board a one-way flight to Istanbul with his girlfriend, Tara Knaggs. 

The flight had been booked just hours before and the couple had a single carry-on bag between them - containing just a few items of clothing and more than £4,000 in cash. 

Rose was arrested on suspicion of murder and Knaggs was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The following day, Pardoe was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

Following a four-week trial, Rose, from Sunbury-on-Thames, and Pardoe, from Feltham, were both found guilty of two counts of murder.

Knaggs, 25, from Great Ayton in Yorkshire, was found guilty of assisting an offender.

They were sentenced at Guildford Crown Court.

Rose was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 34 years. He will also serve 21 months concurrently for perverting the course of justice.

Pardoe was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 29 years.

Knaggs was sentenced to three years imprisonment, to serve a minimum of one year and two months prior to being considered for licence.

Each of the defendants had their sentences marginally reduced to account for time already spent in custody prior to trial, police said.

A deprivation order was also granted for the £4,000 cash found on Rose and Knaggs when they attempted to leave the country.

Detective Inspector Debbie Birch, from the Surrey and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: "My thoughts and sympathies remain, as always, with the family and friends of William Birchard and Darren George.

“Today’s outcome will not change the fact that William and Darren’s lives were cut so unfairly short, but I hope that their loved ones will take some small comfort from seeing justice served.

“I am grateful to the hard work of our officers and staff who worked so hard to secure these convictions.”

William’s dad said: “Today’s court outcome brings a measure of justice for our son William and his friend Darren.

“While no sentence can ever undo the devastation of losing him, we take some comfort in knowing that those responsible have been held accountable.

“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. We will remember him for his laughter, his loyalty, and the joy he brought into our lives.

“The past months have been an incredibly painful journey for our family. Sitting through the trial and hearing the details of how William’s life was taken has been almost unbearable.

"But throughout it all, we have held on to the hope that justice would prevail. Today’s verdict cannot bring William back, but it does bring us some peace in knowing that the truth has been heard.

“We want to express our deepest gratitude to Surrey Police. From the very first moment, their officers have shown extraordinary dedication, professionalism, and compassion.

"They have worked tirelessly to investigate William’s murder, to uncover the truth, and to support us as a family through the most difficult time of our lives. We will never forget their hard work and the humanity they showed us when we needed it most.

“We are also grateful to the prosecution team for presenting the case with such care, to the jury for their attention and courage, and to all those who have stood by us with love and support.

“As a family, our lives will never be the same. William’s absence is felt every single day, and we carry a grief that words cannot fully express. But we also carry his memory, and we will continue to honour him in the way we live our lives.”

'Darren should still be with us'

Darren’s mum said, “Darren should still be with us – but he is not.

“A guilty verdict doesn’t change the past. Justice being served doesn’t heal the loss of our son.

“We have had so much support from friends and family which has been invaluable. But it is those who have shown kindness even though they do not know us who have helped support us from afar – the lorry driver that stopped, the paramedics, and the Air Ambulance crew.

“Our family have further been supported by the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service, and I have nothing but praise for our emergency services and encourage people, in turn, to support them.

“Darren was always coming and going – he couldn’t sit still. He would arrive at home with friends, repair cars with his dad, then he would then be off, and then he would be back again.

“The coming and goings have stopped. The repairs of the cars have stopped. The buzz of a busy home has stopped. Darren’s dad is a man of few words. When he read the statement I had written for court, my husband simply uttered quietly, “I loved that boy.”

Mistaken identity

Mary Walford, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said previously that the case was one of mistaken identity.

She said: "Two men lost their lives as a result of Alex Rose wrongly believing that they were going to break into his property.

"This was a tragic case of the two victims simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Despite the defendants claiming that what happened that night was an accident, it was clear from the evidence that it was not.

"Rose used his car as a weapon and drove it deliberately at the e-bike in the mistaken belief that they had tried to steal from him, after systemically searching for them for an hour, before pursuing them at high speed.

"Pardoe did nothing to stop him committing murder and actively encouraged Rose in his search until its tragic conclusion."