Latest news with #KeatonMuldoon
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Alana Armstrong: Driver jailed after e-bike crash kills young mum
A driver has been jailed after a "pursuit of anger" ended in the death of a young mother who was knocked off an electric bike on a narrow Derbyshire Armstrong, 25, described as a "caring, compassionate" mother, was a passenger on the bike driven by her boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay, on Batley Lane, Pleasley, on 26 November when it was hit by a Land Rover Muldoon, 23, of Tuckers Lane, Mansfield, had previously admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous was sentenced at Derby Crown Court on Friday to five years and three months in prison and banned from driving for 12 years and six months. In June, Muldoon was found not guilty of murder and of causing grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to Mr Newton-Kay, who later had his right leg Shaun Smith KC described the incident in which Ms Armstrong died as a "pursuit in anger, which took place over a mile", and said Muldoon performed a "dangerous manoeuvre on a narrow country lane".He added Ms Armstrong was a "vulnerable road user", with Muldoon later disposing of the vehicle and "pointed the finger of blame" at his court heard Muldoon was dealing cocaine nearby and had lights shone into his car. Judge Smith added: "You turned and followed... you could have left but you chose not to. I reject that you were frightened."I am satisfied the reason was because you were irritated and wanted to teach them a lesson by chasing them and frightening them."But I agree with the verdict the jury returned; you had no intention to hurt anybody." 'So much anger' Mr Newton-Kay, who attended court in a wheelchair, had a victim impact statement read out to the court by Sally Howes KC, it, Mr Newton-Kay said he was planning to propose to Alana on her birthday during a trip to Amsterdam they were planning."I planned the trip and bought the ring and the proposal was a massive surprise… she never got to know about it."I don't do anything anymore since she died, I just stay in bed."I have so much anger towards the person responsible for this… I wish it was him that died." The court also heard from Ms Armstrong's mother Kerry Hall. She said her daughter's death had devastated her six-year-old grandson, who had to open Christmas presents his mother had bought him without her there."It is hard to know where to start…I've lost my baby. It breaks my heart that I will never get another chance I tell her I love her."I will mourn and think of her for the rest of my life – it breaks my heart she won't get to see her son grow up."His actions have ripped the heart out of our family… the light she brought was tremendous and we will never fully recover from this." CCTV footage seen by the jury in the trial showed the car following two e-bikes before contact with one of the bikes, causing the rider and the passenger to fall off. The car then drove off from the scene without inquiries took place in the area, but the driver of the vehicle did not come forward, the court jury was shown a CCTV image of the passenger in the Land Rover, which was published in a media appeal on 29 November and on 2 December. In turn, Muldoon handed himself into his police interview, he denied being the driver at the time of the collision and named another person he said was responsible. Adrian Langdale KC, defending, said: "This case was opened by the Crown on the basis of persisted pursuit and ramming of the bike… that is not what has been found."He added Muldoon had written a "mature" letter of apology and remorse to the judge on what he had done and the incident had deeply upset him. Sentencing Muldoon, Judge Smith said: "There is no price on human life. "I'm not putting a price on Alana Armstrong – neither a sentence can be measure by revenge."
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Driver who caused death of young mother who was knocked off e-bike is jailed
A driver who admitted causing the death of a young mother who was knocked off the back of an electric motorbike ridden by her boyfriend has been jailed for more than five years. Keaton Muldoon, 23, was acquitted after a trial at Derby Crown Court of murdering 25-year-old Alana Armstrong and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to her boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay, who had his right leg amputated 15cm above the knee after the crash on November 26 last year. Before the trial began, Muldoon, of Tuckers Lane in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified. Muldoon, who the court heard was a drug dealer, told the jury of 11 women and one man during the trial that he 'did not know' he had hit anyone while driving his Land Rover Discovery on the evening of November 26 last year, and thought he had overtaken Mr Newton-Kay's bike at a passing point. The prosecution alleged that Muldoon 'pursued' the couple, and another electric bike ridden by a friend of Mr Newton-Kay, after they stopped near the defendant's 4×4 at a lay-by and shined their lights inside the vehicle. The defendant told the court he feared he was going to be robbed but did not 'chase' the Sur-Ron off-road bike for more than a mile from the lay-by in Sampsons Lane, Pleasley. In a victim impact statement read to the court by prosecution counsel Sally Howes KC on Friday, Mr Newton-Kay said 'nothing feels right' without his partner, adding: 'I can't see a future without her in it. 'My life has been turned upside down. I have lost my leg and the love of my life by the age of 23.' In another statement, Ms Armstrong's mother said she was a 'kind-hearted soul' who wanted the best for everyone she cared about. She said: 'I have lost my baby… As a family, we feel tormented that she has lost her life because of someone else's actions.' Defending Muldoon, Adrian Langdale KC said the defendant was 'extremely young' at the time of the incident but had written a 'mature' letter to Judge Shaun Smith KC highlighting his remorse for what happened. Judge Smith imposed a sentence of five years and three months for causing the death of Ms Armstrong, with concurrent sentences of 27 months for injuring Mr Newton-Kay and one month for driving whilst disqualified. He banned him from driving for 12 and a half years and said he must serve at least half of his sentence before he can be released on extended licence. He said he could not be sure that Muldoon's vehicle made contact with Mr Newton-Kay's bike, but he was satisfied that it was the defendant's dangerous driving that made the bike lose control. He said: 'You were irritated by what happened and decided you were going to teach them a lesson by frightening them. 'What you did was, on more than occasion, got close to one or more of the e-bikes to frighten them. 'It was not only dangerous, but carried the real risk of a collision or cause one of them to lose control, leading to potentially tragic consequences. 'I take the view that each decision you took that night was conscious and deliberate. You knew exactly what you were doing.' Despite this, the judge accepted Muldoon had not intended to cause death or injury that evening. He said: 'You didn't set out that night to injure or kill someone. You are, I accept, truly remorseful.' He added: 'There is no price of a human life, but neither can sentence be measured by revenge. 'It cannot return Alana to those who love her or return Mr Newton-Kay to full health. 'Those who know and love Alana have been utterly crushed and devastated.'
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Chilling footage shows car chasing e-bikes before horror crash which killed mother-of-one, 25: Drug dealer is cleared of murder
A mother and her boyfriend are chased along a road on their e-bike by a Land Rover which was used as a 'weapon' to knock them off, killing her and seriously injuring him. The footage of Keaton Muldoon at the wheel of the two-and-a-half tonne 4X4 was released yesterday after the drug dealer, who has previously admitted death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, was cleared of Alana Amrstrong's murder. The mother-of-one died last November in a country lane outside Pleasley, Derbyshire, when she 'went over the whole car' after Muldoon, 23, made five attempts to ram the bike she was riding, a jury heard. Det Con Natalie Barnett, from Derbyshire Police's major crime unit, told the court a doorbell camera captured Ms Armstrong, 25, and Mr Newton-Kay leaving an address in Tibshelf, Derbyshire, that evening on one electric bike, with another man, James Gilbert, on a separate bike. The two CCTV clips released by police were shown to the jury at Derby Crown Court and show the two bikes being 'followed' by the vehicle on the unlit lane. The court heard the last piece of footage was captured one minute before GPS from Mr Newton-Kay's phone showed his bike had stopped at the site of the crash. DC Barnett said the GPS data showed that Mr Newton-Kay's bike, with Ms Armstrong riding pillion, went past Muldoon's vehicle,which was stopped in a layby, just before 20:00 GMT. The officer said: 'The movements show that the phone has then gone back towards the lay-by. 'The phones and the bikes are then beginning to move back down Sampsons Lane towards the incident.' Ms Armstrong, who had a six-year-old son, suffered catastrophic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Newton-Kay, was taken to hospital where he later had to have his leg amputated below the knee. Following the incident, Muldoon drove off from the scene without stopping, juors heard. He handed himself into police the following week after a police media appeal. During his police interview he denied being the driver at the time of the collision and named another person he said was responsible. Muldoon, 23, of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was cleared of murder and causing Mr Newton-Kay grievous bodily harm with intent. He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving before his trial began in May. His sentencing date has not been fixed by the court. Muldoon, who the court heard was a drug dealer, told the jury of 11 women and one man on Tuesday that he 'did not know' he had hit anyone on the evening of November 26 last year, and thought he had overtaken Mr Newton-Kay's bike at a passing point. But the prosecution alleged that Muldoon 'pursued' the couple, and Mr Gilbert on the second electric bike after the trio had stopped near the defendant's 4x4 at the lay-by. Sally Howes KC, prosecuting, said Muldoon then started chasing the two bikes. She said the 'close pursuit', which lasted for 1.1 miles, ended up with Muldoon using his 'much larger, heavier' Land Rover Discovery Mk3 as a 'weapon' and knocking his victims from the bike before leaving them for dead. Jurors were told that in the immediate aftermath of the collision, he was heard by a woman he had earlier been selling the drugs to saying: 'Oh s***. Oh for f**** sake. I was only meant to knock them off the bike.' Mr Newton-Kay told police Muldoon rammed his bike four times before succeeding in knocking them off on the fifth attempt. Describing his recollection of the collision, Ms Howes told the court: 'He said he watched Alana go over the bonnet and roll over the whole car, and she had ended up flying backwards and watched her go over the whole car.' Mr Newton-Kay said the vehicle then drove over him, before continuing its pursuit of Mr Gilbert. Ms Howes said he told the police he managed to just avoid also being knocked off by riding up grass banking at the side of the road, with the Land Rover Discovery then 'flying past' and driving away. She added: 'He managed to gather his wits and flew back down the lane in search of friends', where he found the pair lying in the road. The defendant told the court he feared he was going to be robbed but did not 'chase' the Sur-Ron off-road bike for more than a mile from the lay-by in Sampsons Lane, Pleasley. Muldoon, who was father to a newborn baby at the time of the collision, told the court he lied to police that his uncle had possession of the Land Rover at the time of the collision because he was 'scared' about the murder investigation. He told the jury earlier this week: 'My head was all over, I didn't know what to think. 'I knew I wasn't going to see my children for a bit. I just had a newborn baby. I promised I would always be there.' Detective Constable Stevie Barker, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, who was the officer in the case, said: 'Alana was just 25 when she died, leaving her son without his mum, and her family grieving the loss of a young woman who had so much life ahead of her. 'The consequences of Muldoon's behaviour on that night have led to the death of Alana and a lifetime of grief for her family. In addition, Jordan, the rider of the bike, also suffered life-changing injuries. 'He then didn't even have the decency to admit what he had done in interview, instead trying to put the blame on someone else. It was months later before he accepted that he was the driver of the vehicle. 'My thoughts – and those of all of the officers involved in this tragic case- remain with the families of Alana and Jordan.'
Telegraph
20-06-2025
- Telegraph
‘Drug dealer' cleared of murdering mother who was knocked off e-bike
An alleged drug dealer has been acquitted of murdering a mother-of-one who died after she was knocked off the back of an electric motorbike ridden by her boyfriend. Keaton Muldoon, 23, was accused of 'pursuing' Alana Armstrong, 25, and her boyfriend, Jordan Newton-Kay, before ramming the vehicle. Ms Armstrong died at the scene in Batley Lane, Pleasley, Derbyshire, while Mr Newton-Kay had his right leg amputated above the knee after the crash. Muldoon, of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving before his trial began in May. His sentencing date has not been fixed. But a jury at Derby Crown Court found him not guilty of murdering Ms Armstrong. He was also cleared of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to her boyfriend. Muldoon, who the court heard was a drug dealer, told the jury on Tuesday that he 'did not know' he had hit anyone while driving his Land Rover Discovery on Nov 26 last year, and thought he had overtaken Mr Newton-Kay's bike at a passing point. The prosecution alleged Muldoon 'pursued' the couple, and another electric bike ridden by a friend of Mr Newton-Kay after they stopped near the defendant's 4x4 at a lay-by. The defendant told the court he feared he would be robbed but did not 'chase' the Sur-Ron off-road bike for more than a mile from the lay-by in Sampsons Lane, Pleasley. Muldoon told the court he lied to police that his uncle had possession of the Land Rover at the time of the collision because he was 'scared' about the murder investigation. He told the jury earlier this week: 'My head was all over, I didn't know what to think. 'I knew I wasn't going to see my children for a bit. I just had a newborn baby. I promised I would always be there.'
Sky News
20-06-2025
- Sky News
Alana Armstrong: Driver cleared of murdering woman who was knocked off electric motorbike
A driver has been acquitted of murdering a 25-year-old mother who was knocked off the back of an electric motorbike. Alana Armstrong, who had a six-year-old son, died at the scene on a country lane in Pleasley, Derbyshire. Her boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay, who was riding the electric motorbike, had his right leg amputated 15cm above the knee after the crash. Prosecutors alleged that Keaton Muldoon had "pursued" the couple on 26 November 2024 but he was found not guilty of murder following a trial at Derby Crown Court. The 23-year-old told the jury he "did not know" he had hit anyone while driving his Land Rover Discovery and thought he had overtaken the pair. Muldoon said he feared he was going to be robbed but did not "chase" the Sur-Ron off-road bike after it had stopped by his 4x4 at a lay-by. He had pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and serious injury by dangerous driving before the trial began in May. The jury also cleared Muldoon of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Newton-Kay. Muldoon - who the court heard was a drug dealer - was the father to a newborn baby at the time of the collision. He said he lied to police that his uncle had possession of the Land Rover when the crash happened because he was "scared" about the murder investigation. Earlier this week, he told the jury: "My head was all over I didn't know what to think. "I knew I wasn't going to see my children for a bit. I just had a newborn baby. I promised I would always be there."
