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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Tom Bevan & Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Bikers killed rival by dragging body under bike after he wore wrong colours on their patch

A man has been cleared of murdering a 'Hells Angels' grandad who was mowed down after wearing 'colours' on a rival biker gang's turf - but had already admitted manslaughter.

David Crawford, 59, was knocked off his bike, dragged hundreds of metres under a van and then left for dead by the side of the road, a court heard.

Prosecutors argued he was "deliberately targeted" by a rival Bandidos gang who were blood-thirsty for revenge.

Paul Cavin KC, for the CPS, told the jury that it was considered "insulting" for a member of one club to ride in a rival club's patch wearing 'colours' - the badges and emblems of that club.

David Crawford, 59, was "deliberately targetted" by a rival Bandidos gang (CPS / SWNS)
The Bandidos clothing was showed at Plymouth Crown Court (CPS / SWNS)

But after a three week trial, a jury returned a not guilty verdict to the charge of murder in respect of one of the three defendants Benjamin Parry.

He had already pleaded guilty to manslaughter after claiming the incident was "nothing more than a spur of the moment act" and will now be sentenced on the lesser-charge.

Prosecutors argued the three defendants Parry, Thomas Pawley and Chad Brading, who were part of the Plymouth branch of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, had acted as a "joint enterprise" in carrying out the fatal attack.

Parry, 42, Brading, 36, of Plymouth, Devon, and Pawley, 32, of Ivybridge, Devon, had all denied murder.

CCTV images of Red Chief bikers parked up at the Tamar bridge with a black Mercedes coming up behind (CPS / SWNS)

The jury told the judge they had not reached a verdict in regards to Brading and Pawley but were informed they could no longer consider a guilty verdict for murder. They were told to resume deliberations in respect of a manslaughter charge.

The trial at Plymouth Crown Court had been told the trio had set out to confront their rivals from the beginning and caught up with the Red Chiefs MC, that was affiliated to the Hells Angels, at the Tamar Bridge.

Mr Crawford, of Ivybidge, Devon, was seen saying farewell to his fellow members on the evening of May 12 this year.

In what Mr Cavin described as a "coordinated attack", dashcam footage that was played to the jury showed Parry's Transit slamming into the back of the victim's Kawasaki motorcycle on a slip-road of the A38 near Plymouth, Devon.

The footage also showed the black Mercedes with the other two defendants inside, beside it.

His earlier manslaughter plea had been rejected by the prosecution (CPS / SWNS)

The victim was initially knocked onto the bonnet and then under the van - where he was dragged before being dislodged at a slip road further down the A38.

Plymouth Crown Court heard he was pronounced dead at the scene and had suffered a "horrific" number of injuries consistent with being dragged along a road.

Mr Cavin said the three defendants had "worked together" through a series of calls and 'signals' to hunt down the victim and said none of them had the "decency to stop or call an ambulance."

The trial at Plymouth Crown Court also heard the Cornwall-based Red Chiefs Motorcycle Club had an issue with the Red Chiefs riding in Cornwall with their colours and vice versa.

But in police interview, Brading claimed "nobody set out to kill anybody.

He added: "It was just never meant to happen".

Sean Brunton KC, defending Parry, said his client hit Mr Crawford but claimed it was "nothing other than a spur of the moment act" and a "catastrophic error of judgement by him".

His earlier manslaughter plea had been rejected by the prosecution.

Representatives of Pawley and Brading said murder was "not in the mind" of their clients at the time and did not conspire with Parry on the attack.

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