Three bikers jailed for killing rival for wearing wrong colours on their turf
‘Coordinated attack’ saw Plymouth grandfather dragged under van along A38
Three bikers have been jailed for killing a rival motorcycle gang member who wore his “colours” on their patch.
Benjamin Parry, 42, and Chad Brading, 36, both from Plymouth, along with Thomas Pawley, 32, from Ivybridge, were found guilty of the manslaughter of David Crawford, a 59-year-old grandfather from Plymouth.
Parry was jailed for 12 years, while Brading and Pawley were sentenced to four years. The trio, who were part of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, were all cleared of murder.
The elder member, sentenced to longer in prison because of his “significant, if not leading, role”, was also banned from driving for 10 years.
The victim, who was a member of rival chapter, the Red Chiefs, was killed on the A38 near Plymouth on the evening of 12 May 2022, in what was described in court as a “coordinated attack”.
During a trial at Plymouth Crown Court last November, the jury heard 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.
Footage was played in court of Mr Crawford riding his black Kawasaki motorbike on the northern edge of the Devon town. As he drove onto the St Budeaux slip road he was stopped by Pawley and Brading, riding in Pawley’s black Mercedes.
Parry, driving his work Transit van, came up behind Mr Crawford and rammed his motorbike, knocking him to the floor. Parry drove on at speed with Mr Crawford pinned under the van, joining the A38 Devon Expressway westbound.
Mr Crawford’s body eventually came loose at the off-slip at Weston Mill junction after being dragged hundreds of metres.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, having suffered a “horrific” number of injuries.
The prosecution said the three defendants had, through a series of calls and “signals”, sought to hunt down the victim and said none of them had the “decency to stop or call an ambulance”.
In a police interview, Brading claimed “nobody set out to kill anybody.” He added: “It was just never meant to happen”.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Garnham said “Mr Crawford was entirely innocent in all this. He’d just been out for a ride on his motorbike with his friends from his motorcycle clubs.
“You three had absolutely no right in determining who could ride in Devon and what colour they could wear.”
In a victim impact statement read to the court on Friday, Mr Crawford’s wife Ann-Marie said: “David was the life and soul of the party, he was passionate about rugby which he played since school.
“He was loved by his family and his close friends. He had a motorbike for most of his life.
She said the incident had left her shaken and scared to leave the house alone.
“I have lived in Plymouth all my life and this is the first time I don’t like living in this city. When I can afford to, I’m going to move to another country,” she said.
Agencies contributed to this report