Man arrested at Heathrow Airport while trying to flee UK after fatal hit and run convicted of murder

Trevelle Rowland drove his car into 35-year-old Fergany Mvuezolo on March 24 2024 in East Ham, east London, after they became involved in a disagreement outside a restaurant.

The fatal incident took place 10 months after Rowland drove into two security guards outside a pub in Barking, east London, over a “trivial dispute”, the Metropolitan Police said.

On Monday, a jury at Inner London Crown Court found Rowland, 34, guilty of murder, dangerous driving, and two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm.

“Rowland is an extremely dangerous man,” Detective Inspector Aytac Necati, who led the investigation, said in a statement after the verdict.

“He used his car as a weapon against three men, one of whom tragically lost his life.

“Rowland is also a devious liar.

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“He misled police about the initial attack, in which he ran his car into a pair of security guards over a trivial dispute, only to go on to kill another man using the exact same method.”

Emergency services went to Barking Road in East Ham at about 5.20am on March 24 2024 after reports of a collision.

They found Mr Mvuezolo severely injured and he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Using CCTV camera footage, witness evidence and mobile phone footage, detectives were able to establish that Mr Mvuezolo was known to the defendant.

He was among a group of men who became involved in a disagreement with Rowland outside a restaurant, the Met Police said.

“The defendant left the scene in his car, a VW Tiguan, only to return shortly after and run it into defenceless Fergany,” a spokesperson for the force said.

A manhunt began after witnesses who knew Rowland identified him as the driver of the VW.

He was arrested at Heathrow Airport later on March 24 while trying to flee the country.

Police found a receipt for the restaurant in Barking Road on him, directly connecting him to the scene of Mr Mvuezolo’s death.

The investigation also found Rowland had carried out a similar attack outside a pub in Ripple Road, Barking, on May 29 2023, when he drove into two security guards.

He had got into an argument with the men after they asked him to remove a baseball cap, police said.

One of the security guards was thrown up on to the bonnet of the car, and sustained injuries to his right knee and his ankle.

The other guard suffered a minor injury to his hand, Met Police said.

Rowland’s car was impounded later the same day after officers found it parked in Barley Close, Dartford, Kent.

When Rowland went to Dagenham police station the next day to ask about his car, he claimed he had no knowledge of the incident outside the Barking pub and said he had rented the vehicle to an associate.

The two security guards he attacked were however able to identify him as the driver of the VW.

“We would like to express our sympathies to the family of Fergany Mvuezolo, and to Rowland’s two living victims,” Mr Necati added.

“The defendant has left a trail of destruction in his wake.

“The investigation into Rowland was traditional and people-focused, with officers at the murder scene quickly establishing the killer’s identity by speaking to witnesses.

“This allowed police to swiftly apprehend him, before he could flee the country.”

Rowland, of Cornelia Street in Islington, north London, will be sentenced on January 15.