Latest news with #Pleasley
The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Mother who was ‘rammed' off e-bike sometimes supplied drugs, murder trial told
A young mother who died on a country road after she was allegedly chased and rammed off a bike by a 4×4 'sometimes' supplied cannabis while her boyfriend drove her around to deliver it, a murder trial has heard. Jurors at Derby Crown Court were told that 25-year-old Alana Armstrong bought the Sur-Ron off-road electric bike for her boyfriend, which is not legal for road use and is known to be a 'drug-dealing type' bike. Ms Armstrong, who had one child, could 'barely' fit on the back of the saddle and was not wearing a helmet when the Land Rover Discovery allegedly ploughed into her in Batley Lane, Pleasley, Derbyshire, just after 8pm on November 26 last year. Keaton Muldoon, 23, who the court was told was a drug dealer, denies her murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Ms Armstrong's boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay, whose right leg was amputated 15cm above the knee after the crash. The defendant, of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving before the trial, the jury was told by prosecutor Sally Howes KC. The court heard that Mr Newton-Kay was riding his black, orange and blue off-road bike with Ms Armstrong on the back that evening, while a friend was on another bike. The jury heard that the three stopped at a lay-by in Sampsons Lane, near Pleasley, where the Land Rover was parked, and no words were exchanged before the vehicle spun around and 'chased' them down the country lane. On Friday, Adrian Langdale KC, defending Muldoon, cross-examined Mr Newton-Kay, who said his girlfriend of four years 'sometimes' supplied cannabis which he drove her around to deliver. The court heard that before the fatal collision, Ms Armstrong, from Tibshelf, received a message asking if she was available for a 'drop off', but Mr Newton-Kay said he was 'unsure' if they were going to deliver cannabis that evening. Mr Newton-Kay denied that he thought the 4×4 parked in the field was a police vehicle. He also denied wearing a balaclava on the evening of the incident and told the court he had not been doing wheelies and pulling out on other drivers before the collision. Mr Newton-Kay admitted he had smoked cannabis that day, but denied that influenced his recollection of events. Mr Langdale asked the witness: 'If two people pull up on a dark lane on what appears to be drug-dealing bikes, dressed all in black with masks on – that might be scary for a young man who knows the association, do you agree?', to which Mr Newton-Kay replied: 'Yes.' Mr Langdale asked the witness, who gave evidence from behind a curtain, whether the bike is designed to carry two people, to which Mr Newton-Kay said: 'No.' The barrister continued: 'You don't have any helmets on, neither of you. You seemed to suggest to police you didn't, as a general policy, wear helmets. 'You also suggested to the police you would drive, wherever you went, at maximum speed. Forty-six miles an hour to be precise. 'You were suggesting, with no seatbelts, no helmets, no safety gear at all, no brake lights, you were travelling at that speed.' Mr Newton-Kay replied: 'Yes.' The barrister asked: 'Did you seriously think that was a safe way to travel?' to which the witness responded: 'No, but I went trail to trail. I was not on roads much.' Mr Langdale added: 'You have taken the restrictor off of it (the bike) which stops it going above the legal speed limit for that bike. When I say legal speed limit I mean the off-road limit, to make it go faster.' The jury heard that the 4×4 made five attempts to hit the bike and 'kept dropping back' before it came 'out of nowhere' and knocked the couple off the bike on the fifth try. Mr Langdale said: 'A two-tonne vehicle is making contact with you going, you say, 46 miles an hour four times and not once do you come off or lose control. 'You would be off and in a hedge is what I'm suggesting to you. Your account of there being four previous rammings… is simply not right, did not happen. 'You have no real memory of how you came off the bike. You undoubtedly came into contact with the car but it was not by him ramming you deliberately.' Mr Newton-Kay replied: 'He deliberately chased me, deliberately rammed me, and left us for dead.' The trial continues.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Alana Armstrong: Mum 'rammed' off bike 'sometimes' supplied cannabis
A young mother who died on a country road after she was "chased and rammed" off an e-bike by a 4x4, "sometimes" supplied cannabis while her boyfriend drove her around to deliver it, a murder trial has Armstrong, 25, died at the scene in Batley Lane, near Pleasley, Derbyshire, on 26 November 2024 after Keaton Muldoon made five attempts to hit the bike she was riding, the jury Armstrong's boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay, 26, who was injured and had his leg amputated following the crash, said: "[Mr Muldoon] deliberately chased me, deliberately rammed me, and left us for dead."Mr Muldoon, 23, of Tuckers Lane, Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire, denies murder. Jurors at Derby Crown Court were told Ms Armstrong bought the Sur-Ron off-road electric bike for her boyfriend, which is not legal for road use and is known to be a "drug-dealing type" jury heard Ms Armstrong, Mr Newton-Kay and a friend stopped at a lay-by in Sampsons Lane, near Pleasley, where the Land Rover was parked, and no words were exchanged before the vehicle spun around and "chased" them down the country Friday, Adrian Langdale KC, defending Mr Muldoon, cross-examined Mr Newton-Kay, who said his girlfriend of four years "sometimes" supplied cannabis which he drove her around to court heard that before the fatal collision, Ms Armstrong, from Tibshelf, received a message asking if she was available for a "drop off", but Mr Newton-Kay said he was "unsure" if they were going to deliver cannabis that evening. Mr Langdale KC also told the court Mr Newton-Kay had taken the speed restrictor off the bike to make it go Newton-Kay denied he thought the 4x4 parked in the field was a police also denied wearing a balaclava on the evening of the crash and told the court he had not been doing wheelies and pulling out on other drivers before the Newton-Kay admitted he had smoked cannabis that day, but denied that influenced his recollection of Langdale KC said: "You don't have any helmets on, neither of you. You seemed to suggest to police you didn't, as a general policy, wear helmets."You also suggested to the police you would drive, wherever you went, at maximum speed. Forty-six miles an hour to be precise."Mr Newton Kay admitted it was not a safe way to travel but said he went "trail to trail" and "was not on roads much". 'Did not happen' Mr Langdale asked how the pair did not come off the bike if they were hit four previous times."Your account of there being four previous rammings... is simply not right, did not happen," he said."You have no real memory of how you came off the bike. You undoubtedly came into contact with the car but it was not by him ramming you deliberately."Mr Newton-Kay replied: "He deliberately chased me, deliberately rammed me, and left us for dead."The defendant, of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving before the trial begun.
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Young mother died after being knocked off motorcycle by 4×4, murder trial told
A mother-of-one was killed when a 4×4 came 'flying at' her after her boyfriend stopped his motorbike to offer assistance to a vehicle which was parked in a field, a murder trial has heard. Derby Crown Court heard that no words were exchanged between the driver of the Land Rover Discovery, alleged to be Keaton Muldoon, and the bike riders before Alana Armstrong, 25, went 'over the whole car' and was left 'for dead'. Ms Armstrong died at the scene in Batley Lane, Pleasley, Derbyshire, after the vehicle allegedly rammed into the back of the Sur-Ron off-road, electric bike while she was riding pillion on the evening of November 26 last year, the jury heard. Muldoon, 23, denies Ms Armstrong's murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to her boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay, whose leg was amputated 6in (15cm) above the knee after the collision. The defendant, whom the court was told was a drug dealer, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving before his trial began. A recorded police interview with Mr Newton-Kay, who had been in a relationship with Ms Armstrong for four years before her death, was played to the jury on Thursday. He told detectives that Ms Armstrong, from Tibshelf, Derbyshire, was on the back of the bike he was riding when the Land Rover Discovery 'chased' the couple and his friend, James Gilbert, who was on a separate bike, the jury heard. He told police he did not know the defendant, had never spoken to him, and did not believe Ms Armstrong knew him either. The court had been told the 4×4 was parked in a lay-by in Sampsons Lane, near Pleasley, after Muldoon, of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, picked up a woman who wanted to buy drugs from him. Mr Newton-Kay told police: 'We were driving down one of the lanes, I can't remember what lane it was, and there was a 4×4 just sat on the other side of a hedge in a farmer's field. 'I can't remember who it was, but somebody said that the car was there. We had already gone past it. 'We went back to see if they needed help or if they were alright. 'It spun round … and came flying at us down the lane. It chased us out of the field and chased us down the lane. 'When the car spun round, I didn't know if it was a farmer and he didn't want us in his field. As soon as he came out the field, I knew it wasn't a farmer. 'We never actually got to speak to them, no words went from any of us to any of them. We didn't get one word in. He didn't say anything to us, she didn't, we didn't say anything to them.' Mr Newton-Kay told police Ms Armstrong hugged him 'very tight' on the back of the bike when they were allegedly pursued. The court heard him tell detectives the 4×4 attempted to hit his bike four times, and on the fifth 'he had us'. He told police: 'My wheel was on his front bumper, it was only a couple seconds at a time. It was very hard to control the bike. 'The fifth time I can just remember being under the car, the car driving off and going for my mate and as I've looked down the road, my missus is laid there. 'She's ended up flying backwards. The bonnet of the car must have hit her back. I tried to drag myself across the floor to her, that's when I realised about my leg. 'Adrenaline took over. I really didn't care about myself, I needed to get to Alana. She didn't say much, it was two words or something.' Mr Newton-Kay told police the 4×4 went over his leg, drove away and 'left us for dead, pretty much'. He added: 'James came back, I don't know how he got away. As soon as he came back he rang the ambulance and his dad. James tried to do CPR on Alana but she was already gone. 'The first time he tried to hit me, all that was going through my head was I needed to get away. 'I don't know what was going through his head. I have never met the guy, never heard of him until this.' The court heard that two minutes and 20 seconds passed between the time Mr Newton-Kay left the lay-by where the vehicle was parked and when he stopped at the site of the collision, based on the GPS data from his phone. Mr Newton-Kay told police he rode his black, orange and blue electric bike four or five times a day, and was 'comfortable' riding it, although he had smoked cannabis earlier that afternoon, which he said did not affect his ability to ride the bike. The trial continues.
The Sun
23-05-2025
- The Sun
Mum, 25, killed when 4×4 ‘ploughed into her e-bike five times during murderous chase'
A MUM was killed when a 4x4 ploughed into her e-bike five times during a chase, a court heard. Alana Armstrong, 25, was riding pillion on her boyfriend's bike when Keaton Muldoon allegedly began tailing them for over a mile. 3 3 The 23-year-old "deliberately" smashed into the pair five times in Pleasley, Derbyshire, before Alana was thrown off, jurors heard. Derby Crown Court was told the mum-of-one died on a country road while her boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay's leg was amputated. After fleeing the scene, Muldoon was heard moaning: "Oh s***. Oh for f**** sake. I was only meant to knock them off the bike." He has pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving but denies murder. Jordan told police he, Alana and another rider were "pursued and chased" by a "large, dark, old-style Land Rover or Range Rover". The court heard he and the other rider had earlier seen the Land Rover parked up "in darkness" in a field before the crash so went to investigate. They noticed two figures inside, before the vehicle, driven by Muldoon, "spun round" and "came straight at" them, it was said. He said he saw his partner "roll over the whole car" as the vehicle's bumper hit the back wheel of his bike. Jordan, who was left under the car, claimed Muldoon "just ploughed us" and "left us for dead, did not even touch the brakes". Jurors were told Muldoon was a drug dealer who had met a woman in a pub car park before the crash to drop off 30 pounds of cocaine. Prosecutor Sally Howes KC said Jordan's right lower leg was amputated following the horror in November last year. A post-mortem found extensive fractures to the rear of Alana's ribcage causing bleeding "entirely consistent with heavy impact" that suggested she had been "dragged" along the road. She added: "The catastrophic injuries sustained by Alana Armstrong as a result of this collision were unsurvivable and she was declared dead at the scene." Jurors heard the collision was a "deliberate, targeted running down" using a "highly powerful" vehicle as a weapon to knock them off. Ms Howes added: "It is the Crown's case this was the deliberate running down by a bigger, heavier vehicle, using it as a weapon, of two exposed, vulnerable young people on a motorcycle that is more of a toy than a road-worthy vehicle. "This is not panic, this is pursuit. It was a brutal impact that left one person dead, and the other maimed." The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, continues. 3
The Independent
23-05-2025
- The Independent
Mother went ‘over whole car' when 4×4 ploughed into motorbike, murder trial told
A mother-of-one, who was allegedly chased by a 4×4 while riding pillion on an electric motorbike, was ploughed into and went 'over the whole car' before she died on a country lane, a murder trial has heard. A jury at Derby Crown Court was told on Friday that Alana Armstrong, 25, died at the scene in Batley Lane, Pleasley, in Derbyshire, on November 26 last year after Keaton Muldoon allegedly made five attempts to hit her and her boyfriend off the motorcycle. Muldoon, 23, who the court was told was a drug dealer, is charged with the murder of Ms Armstrong and causing grievous bodily harm to 22-year-old Jordan Newton-Kay. He denies both charges. The jury was told that Muldoon had pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The defendant, of Tuckers Lane, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, appeared in the dock on Friday wearing a navy suit, white shirt and burgundy tie, in front of a full press bench and public gallery. Opening the case for the prosecution, Sally Howes KC told the jury of 11 women and one man: 'We begin shortly after 8pm on Tuesday November 26 last year. 'Emergency services – ambulance and police – attended the scene of a road traffic collision in a narrow, dark country road located in rural Derbyshire called Batley Lane. 'Upon arrival, paramedics found two people, a young man and a young woman, lying in the road together with a small electric motorcycle.' The court heard that Ms Armstrong's boyfriend, Mr Newton-Kay, later told police that he, Alana, and another motorcycle rider on a separate bike, all of whom had smoked cannabis that evening, had been 'pursued and chased' by what he thought was a 'large, dark, old-style Land Rover or Range Rover'. Mr Newton-Kay said he saw Ms Armstrong, from Tibshelf, 'roll over the whole car' as the vehicle 'came over' him when the vehicle's bumper hit the bike's back wheel, the jury heard. Ms Howes told the court: 'The catastrophic injuries sustained by Alana Armstrong as a result of this collision were unsurvivable and she was declared dead at the scene.' The court heard that Mr Newton-Kay suffered a 'horrific' injury to his right lower leg which meant it had to be amputated. Ms Howes told the court that the vehicle – a Land Rover Discovery – had been parked up in 'darkness' in a field before Mr Newton-Kay saw it and decided to 'take a closer look', together with the other motorcycle rider. The court heard they noticed two figures inside, before the vehicle, driven by Muldoon, 'spun round' and 'came straight at' them. Ms Howes told the court that after a fifth attempt to hit the motorbike while driving along a country lane, Mr Newton-Kay remembers being 'under the car'. She told the jury that Mr Newton-Kay said the defendant 'just ploughed us' and 'left us for dead, did not even touch the brakes'. The jury heard that Muldoon initially told police he did not drive the 4×4 that evening and that his uncle had it, but later admitted he had driven the vehicle but the crash had been an accident. Ms Howes said: 'The defendant later indicated to the prosecution that he was the driver of the Land Rover Discovery… but that the collision was an accident and he further states that he was driving in a state of panic in fear of being robbed by the two people on the motorcycles.' She told the jury that the defendant contacted a man within an hour of the collision asking if he wanted to buy the Land Rover, and an agreement was made to swap vehicles. The prosecution allege that the collision was a 'deliberate, targeted running down' using a 'highly powerful' vehicle to run the small motorcycle off the road. Ms Howes added: 'It's the Crown's case that at the time of the impact, the defendant must have intended to at least cause serious harm to his victims.' The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, continues.
