Two men have been found guilty of murder after a fatal collision in Sunbury Cross in July 2024.

Police were called at 12.52am on Monday, July 22, 2024, to the exit slip road between the southbound carriageway of the A316, the M3 junction, and the Sunbury Cross roundabout.

Members of the public had discovered a black Talaria Sting e-bike and its two riders lying in the carriageway. The bike had been struck by another vehicle, which had failed to stop.

Both riders suffered catastrophic injuries. Twenty-one-year-old William Birchard died at the scene, while Darren George, 22, passed away later that day in hospital.

Shortly after the collision, a black pickup truck was seen making a U-turn and heading down the slip road towards the roundabout. A black Ford Ranger Raptor registered to a local man was quickly identified and later found abandoned nearby.

Hours later, its owner, Alex Rose, contacted police claiming his truck had been stolen. This proved to be false, and he later pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.

Rose, who had previously been the victim of a burglary at his business premises, told police he had seen people moving around the grounds of a nearby college on the night of July 21 and believed they were burglars.

He contacted Charles Pardoe, and the pair spent more than an hour driving Rose’s Raptor through Sunbury. Throughout this time, Rose remained in phone contact with his girlfriend, Tara Knaggs, who stayed at home.

Shortly before 12.50am, William Birchard and Darren George rode into Sunbury on the Talaria Sting e-bike. Rose is believed to have mistaken them for the suspected burglars and pursued them along Green Street at more than 60mph in a 30mph zone.

In an attempt to escape, William and Darren rode the wrong way around the Sunbury Cross roundabout and onto the A316/M3 slip road. Rose and Pardoe followed in the Raptor—also driving the wrong way—before colliding with the bike and fleeing the scene.

On July 23, officers tracked Rose to Birmingham Airport, where he was about to board a one-way flight to Istanbul with Knaggs.

The flight had been booked just hours earlier, and the pair had only one small bag containing a few clothes and more than £4,000 in cash. Rose was arrested on suspicion of murder; Knaggs was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The following day, Pardoe and a second man, Samuel Aspden, were also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Rose, Pardoe, and Aspden were later charged with murder, while Knaggs was charged with assisting an offender.

After a four-week trial at Guildford Crown Court, the jury delivered its verdicts yesterday afternoon (Wednesday, September 10):

Sentencing is scheduled for Monday, September 22.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Debbie Birch, from the Surrey and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: “Firstly, our thoughts and sympathies remain today with the family and friends of William Birchard and Darren George.

“Rather than call the police when he witnessed suspicious activity at the back of his property, Alex Rose summoned his friends to join him on a vigilante hunt through the streets of Sunbury.

“He intended to take the law into his own hands, and his actions have led to the tragic loss of Darren and William, two young men who should have had their whole lives still ahead of them.

“Following the collision, Alex Rose fled the scene, demonstrating a total lack of regard for anyone except himself.

“Telephone data shows he and his friends had their mobile phones on them and were in contact with each other the entire time, yet they all made a conscious decision not to call an ambulance or seek help for the two young men they left fatally injured on the slip road.

“Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, Rose attempted to flee the country, assisted by his girlfriend Tara Knaggs, who made their travel arrangements, paid for their flights, and travelled with him to Birmingham Airport where they were apprehended.

“I am grateful to the officers who have worked so hard to bring this investigation before the courts and secure these convictions."