A driver has been found not guilty of murder after he hit and killed a woman and seriously injured her partner with his car.
Keaton Muldoon hit 25-year-old Alana Armstrong and Jordan Newton-Kay with his Land Rover Discovery on a country lane in Pleasley, Derbyshire.
The couple were riding on an electric motorbike together last November 26. Alana, a 25-year-old mum of one, died at the scene while her partner Jordan had his right leg amputated 15cm above the knee after the crash.
Muldoon, 23, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving before his trial began.
Muldoon, who the court heard was a drug dealer, told the jury he ‘did not know’ he had hit anyone with his car. He said he thought he’d overtaken Mr Newton-Kay’s e-bike at a passing point.
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The prosecution claimed Muldoon ‘pursued’ the couple, as well as another electric bike ridden by one of Mr Newton-Kay’s friends, after they stopped near his 4×4 in a lay-by.
CCTV showed the Land Rover following both e-bikes before ramming into one of the bikes and driving away without stopping.
But following a trial at Derby crown court he was found not guilty of murder and of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
He also admitted lying to police, saying his uncle was in possession of the Land Rover at the time of the crash because he was ‘scared’ about the murder investigation.
Muldoon had only recently become a father at the time of the crash and told the court: ‘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.’
A sentencing date for Muldoon has not yet been set.
Speaking after the verdict, Detective Constable Stevie Barker 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.’
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