Two people jailed following e-bike murder in Bournemouth

A woman who “hunted” down an e-bike rider in her Range Rover and killed him by knocking him off his bike has been jailed for life to serve a minimum of 35 years for his murder.

Zoe Treadwell, 36, was convicted by a jury at Winchester Crown Court of the murder of 28-year-old Joey Johnstone on April 9 2025 in Bournemouth, Dorset, as part of an ongoing feud.

Dorset Police have said that Mr Johnstone was targeted in a case of mistaken identity, with the intended victim being Treadwell’s former partner, Joshua Lovell.

Treadwell was also convicted of the attempted murder of Mr Lovell and causing grievous bodily harm with intent against Free Jenkins in a second incident on May 1.

Jonjay Harrison, 25, was convicted of the same charges against Mr Lovell and Mr Jenkins in the May 1 incident. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a knife in a public place.

He was jailed for 32 years.

The sentences were greeted with cheers and applause from people in the public gallery with one woman shouting out:

“May you rot in hell Zoe”

At the time, both of these incidents were investigated by Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT) where they searched CCTV footage, Ring doorbell footage, witness statements and DNA samples from the vehicles.

The investigation team established a connection between the two collisions, and their trial, which combined the two cases began at Winchester Crown Court on Monday 27 October 2025.

Treadwell and Harrison were found guilty by a jury and were sentenced on Thursday 15 January 2026.

Sophie Quinn, who has two children with Mr Johnstone as well as a child from a previous relationship, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that she was “heartbroken” by his death.

She said: “On 9th April our lives changed for the worse, Joey innocently going out for a bike ride in the evening to never return home, my soulmate taken away from me forever.”

She added that she had suffered anxiety since her partner’s death and said: “Just to think I will never be able to hear his voice or see him, breaks my heart.”

His mother, Michelle Rush, said: “I never knew what true love was until I gave birth to my perfect son” and added that he had grown into a “beautiful man with the biggest heart”.

Sentencing Treadwell, the Judge, Mr Justice Linden, said that the incident happened after Mr Johnstone had been “goading” her by “cycling in circles” outside her house and she had used the car as a “weapon”.

He said: “He was much-loved by his family, his death has had a devastating effect on them and the three children who have been left fatherless.

“You have caused serious and lasting harm to them, no sentence this court can pass can console them for their loss.”

He added: “You were totally indifferent as to whether Joey Johnstone lived or died, you made no attempt to assist him or summon assistance for him.”

He said that Harrison had been described as “smiling and smiling” during the pursuit and had been paid £1,000 for his involvement.

Alisdair Williamson KC, defending Treadwell, said that the incidents resulted from an “ongoing feud between two criminal gangs” which she had been “dragged into”.

He said that Treadwell, who had worked as a healthcare assistant and in security, had been suffering from PTSD, depression and anxiety and had also been diagnosed with ADHD.

Mr Williamson added that she had written to the court to express her “sincere sorrow for all that has happened”.

Nicholas Hagan KC, defending Harrison, said that he had made a “last-minute” decision to collide with the e-bike and had not set out that evening with an intention to kill and he had “genuine remorse” for the injuries he caused.

He said that the defendant had become involved in the feud after hearing about his co-defendant being “terrorised by a gang of others”.

Sarah Jones KC, prosecuting, told the trial: “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 vehicle, chased around the streets of Bournemouth and then rammed by the vehicle. The consequences were, unsurprisingly, extremely severe.”

She said the Range Rover travelled at speeds averaging between 66mph and 75mph in pursuit of e-bikes ridden “flat out” by Mr Johnstone and another man, Danny Singleton, who was not injured.

Ms Jones said that Mr Johnstone died of a “traumatic head injury” in the April collision and the two victims of the May incident suffered a range of serious injuries.

She said that there had been a feud between Treadwell and the associates of Mr Lovell, with whom she had previously been in a relationship.

Ms Jones said “Both collisions were engineered as a consequence of a long-running grudge or feud, call it what you will.”

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

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

Ms Jones said: “His journey becomes a grim chase. There was no escape.”

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

Detective Inspector Mark Jenkins, of Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “The violent and senseless actions of Zoe Treadwell and Jonjay Harrison resulted in the tragic death of Joey Johnstone, serious injuries to a second man, and devastating, life-altering injuries for a third man.

“Both collisions involved young men being pursued on electric motorbikes around residential streets in Bournemouth simply because of a dispute which had occurred between two groups of associates.

“The investigation team has worked extensively to gather all the evidence available and we were able to demonstrate how Treadwell had intended to kill Mr Johnstone, before plotting with Jonjay Harrison on the collision which occurred the following month.

“We are pleased that Treadwell and Harrison are now behind bars and facing justice for their despicable offending.

“Our thoughts remain with Joey Johnstone’s partner, children and the rest of his family and friends.”

Kate Lewis, Senior District Crown Prosecutor, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “These acts represent an appalling disregard for human life.

“Joey Johnstone’s family lost a beloved partner, dad, and friend. Others were left with serious and life-changing injuries. Our thoughts remain with them all.

“The Crown Prosecution Service is committed to ensuring that offenders who bring senseless violence to our communities are prosecuted and face the full weight of the law.”