Woman guilty of feud murder of e-bike rider in Bournemouth

A woman has been found guilty of murdering a man she “mowed” down with a Range Rover.

Zoe Treadwell, 36, was convicted by a jury at Winchester Crown Court of the murder of Joey Johnstone, 28, on 9 April in Bournemouth, as part of an ongoing feud.

She was also convicted of the attempted murder of her former partner Joshua Lovell, and causing grievous bodily harm with intent against Free Jenkins in a second incident on 1 May.

Prosecutors said she used cars as “weapons” in the two attacks.

Jonjay Harrison, 25, was also convicted on charges of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm against Mr Lovell and Mr Jenkins.

Two other defendants, Taylor Warwick, 18, and a 17-year-old boy, were found not guilty of murder, the alternative charge of manslaughter and the attempted murder of Mr Lovell.

During the trial, Sarah Jones, prosecuting, described the “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 vehicle, chased around the streets of Bournemouth and then rammed by the vehicle.

“The consequences were, unsurprisingly, extremely severe.”

Ms Jones said Mr Johnstone died as a result of the April collision and the two victims of the May incident suffered serious injuries.

She said there had been a “long-running grudge or feud” between Treadwell and the associates of Mr Lovell, with whom she had previously been in a relationship.

She added: “They have sought to obliterate their enemies and the weapons with which they chose to do that were their cars.

“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 9 April incident, Treadwell, from Bournemouth, was seen to drive off from her home in her Range Rover Evoque.

The court heard she travelled at speeds averaging between 66mph and 75mph in pursuit of e-bikes ridden “flat out” by Mr Johnstone and another man, Danny Singleton.

A post-mortem examination showed that Mr Johnstone suffered a “traumatic head injury”, with multiple fractures to the skull and other bones.

The prosecutor said that in the May incident, Harrison, in a Mercedes C180 car, pursued Mr Lovell and his pillion passenger, Mr Jenkins, on their Caofen F80 electric motorcycle, before hitting them.

She said Mr Lovell suffered multiple injuries and Mr Jenkins had to have his left leg amputated above the knee.

Treadwell and Harrison are due to be sentenced at a later date.