Woman murdered e-bike rider by ‘hunting’ him down in her Range Rover, court told
The prosecutor said that there had been a “long-running grudge or feud”
A 36-year-old woman “hunted” down a young man on his e-bike and “mowed” him down in her Range Rover car, murdering him, as part of a “long-running feud”, a court has heard.
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Sarah Jones KC, prosecuting, told Winchester Crown Court: “In the early hours of April 9 this year and in the afternoon of May 1, there occurred two horrific collisions, in each instance a car was driven deliberately and with shocking aggression into young men who were riding e-bikes.
“The men have been pursued by the vehicles, chased around the streets of Bournemouth and then rammed by the vehicles. The consequences were, unsurprisingly, extremely severe.”
Zoe Treadwell, along with Taylor Warwick, 18; and a 17-year-old male; are accused of the murder of 28-year-old Joey Johnstone on April 9 as well as an alternative charge of manslaughter.
Treadwell and Jonjay Harrison, 25, are accused of the attempted murder and alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent against Joshua Lovell and grievous bodily harm with intent against Free Jenkins on May 1.
Ms Jones said that Mr Johnstone died as a result of the April collision while the two victims of the May incident suffered a range of serious injuries.
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The prosecutor said that there had been a “long-running grudge or feud” between Treadwell and Mr Lovell, whom she had previously been in a relationship with.
She added that the defendants “have sought to obliterate their enemies and the weapons with which they chose to do that were their cars.
“The Crown say that the men were targeted, located, hunted and then mown down by Ms Treadwell or those doing her bidding or responding to her request for this to be done.”
Ms Jones said that ahead of the April 9 incident, Treadwell was seen to drive off from her Bournemouth home in her Range Rover Evoque with Warwick and the teenage defendant as passengers.
She said the Range Rover travelled at speeds averaging between 66mph and 75mph in pursuit of Surron Light Bee e-bikes ridden “flat out” by Mr Johnstone and another man, Danny Singleton, before colliding with Mr Johnstone’s bike.
Ms Jones added that a post-mortem examination showed that Mr Johnstone suffered a “traumatic head injury” with multiple fractures to the skull.
The prosecutor said that in the May incident, Harrison in a Mercedes C180 car “ruthlessly” pursued Mr Lovell and his pillion passenger, Mr Jenkins, on their Caofen F80 electric motorcycle “in a grim chase” before colliding with them.
Ms Jones told the court that Mr Jenkins said he “heard his leg snap” on impact with a lamppost and he told Mr Lovell: “I think we are dead.”
She said that Mr Lovell suffered multiple rib fractures, a thoracic vertebrae fracture and a wound to his left thigh and groin while Mr Jenkins had his left leg amputated above the knee.
Ms Jones said that Treadwell exchanged messages with Harrison, who is from Bournemouth, 18 minutes after the emergency services were called to the scene where she asked him “R u ok”.
Ms Jones added: “His reply is a somewhat self-satisfied, ‘Course’. But then he has advice for her, ‘Txt other number’ and ‘Get of this one’ – the missing word clearly being ‘rid’.”
The prosecutor said that Treadwell admitted driving the Range Rover in the April incident and Harrison admitted driving the Mercedes in the May incident and all the defendants “shared responsibility” as they “acted together in furtherance of their criminal plans”.
Ms Jones said that on April 29, Treadwell sent a number of text messages to Harrison where she asks him if he was in a black car.
This is followed by a message: “They were in alley 30 mins ago” before writing: “Careful though police r about”.
She then adds: “That u just passed” and “U need to slow down lol”.
Ms Jones said: “What does a person truly want if they can ‘lol’ over the speed the new pursuer employs around the neighbourhood within the same month a man died from that person’s own acceleration.”
The defendants deny the charges and the trial continues.