Two 21-year-old men murdered Carl Eland by driving straight at him as he pedalled on a bike - before leaving him dying in a Middlesbrough street.

A unanimous jury found Joey Matthews and Brandon Ali guilty of murder after just three hours of deliberation at Teesside Crown Court on Friday afternoon.

The pair were in Ali's Vauxhall Insignia when they drove past drugs rival Carl Eland, 37, out cycling on his bike in Pallister Park, on August 21 of last year. Mr Eland's girlfriend, Kassi Weir, was riding on his handlebars - the couple were on their way to a beautician's appointment for Kassi, before they attended a christening the next day.

Within seconds, Matthews and Ali had done a u-turn. They drove directly at the cyclist, mounting the kerb and sending him catapulting up into the air. Miraculously, Kassi Weir came away with minor injuries but her boyfriend lay bleeding on Homerton Road.

The Insignia travels along Ormesby Rd and passes Carl and Kassi on the bike before turning onto Homerton Rd

Ms Weir testified that Carl was left covered in blood - with the dad-of-four being pronounced dead days later. He had sustained fractures to his skull in the hit-and-run.

The two week trial heard that Matthews and Ali were embroiled in a drugs turf war with Mr Eland.

One witness, who has since died, told police that Matthews and Ali were selling crack cocaine in North Ormesby. Mr Eland was a convicted drug dealer.

Matthews and Ali had bought the car that they used to kill Mr Eland the day before on August 20, from a private seller in Thornaby. Ali, who had no licence, bought and sold cars and claimed he sold the car onto homeless man Bradley Grimes, just hours after buying it.

But police found Bradley Grimes out begging, he knew nothing of the white Vauxhall Insignia and was oblivious as to why Ali had put his name on the V5 document.

Both men repeatedly lied to the police - denying that they had been in the car at the time of the crash, at 9pm on August 21. Both men chose not to take to the witness stand in their murder trial - as the prosecution's evidence mounted up against them.

On Friday, Matthews, of Newcomen Green, Longlands, in Middlesbrough and Ali, of Dalwood Court in Hemlington, were in HMP Durham with sentencing likely on Friday, August 26.

The family of Carl Eland have been left devastated at his death.

Speaking after the verdict had been delivered, his mother Leona said: "As a family we are broken and as a mother I feel lost, my heart and soul are broken."

"Carl’s girlfriend Kassi can’t move forward in any way, she feels so lost without him. My son was murdered and my best friend taken away from me forever. I will never see my only beautiful son again.

"My only life that I have now have left is my grandchildren and they are so important to me. I don’t know how my grandchildren will cope without their Dad, they will never be able to see or hear him ever again.

"When my son sadly passed away not only did he save Kassi’s life that night but he then went on to be an organ donor and saved three more lives. I’m so proud of my son in every way possible and we always looked out for each other.

"Carl was kind, loving, funny and very generous to everyone. He had a heart of gold, he was very proud of his children and he loved his family and friends. His dogs were his passion and he cared about all animals.

"I’m going to miss his smile and our chats that we had. He was my only chance for happiness and this has been taken from me."

Detective Inspector Iain Pearson is from the Homicide Team at Cleveland Police. He said: "While nothing can sadly bring Carl Eland back, we hope that the verdict today helps the family to move forward with their lives. Carl’s family and friends have shown tremendous strength and resilience throughout the whole investigative and judicial process.

"Their pain and suffering has been unnecessarily prolonged through the lies and deceit told by Joey Matthews and Brandon Ali, yet despite this those close to Carl have composed themselves respectfully. This verdict would not have been possible without information or support from the community and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the local community for assisting us with our investigation.

"Information from members of the public is key in any investigation and anyone who does come forward with information to assist can be assured that they will be thoroughly supported by specially trained officers throughout any process. Cleveland Police detectives and staff from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are extremely committed to their work and it has been a privilege to witness their devotion in getting today’s result for Carl’s family and friends, for Kassi and the local community."

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/hit-run-murderers-drove-straight-24805685

On 20/08/2022 05:24 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Two 21-year-old men murdered Carl Eland by driving straight at him as he pedalled on a bike - before leaving him dying in a Middlesbrough street.
> A unanimous jury found Joey Matthews and Brandon Ali guilty of murder after just three hours of deliberation at Teesside Crown Court on Friday afternoon.
> The pair were in Ali's Vauxhall Insignia when they drove past drugs rival Carl Eland, 37, out cycling on his bike in Pallister Park, on August 21 of last year. Mr Eland's girlfriend, Kassi Weir, was riding on his handlebars - the couple were on their way to a beautician's appointment for Kassi, before they attended a christening the next day.
> Within seconds, Matthews and Ali had done a u-turn. They drove directly at the cyclist, mounting the kerb and sending him catapulting up into the air. Miraculously, Kassi Weir came away with minor injuries but her boyfriend lay bleeding on Homerton Road.
> The Insignia travels along Ormesby Rd and passes Carl and Kassi on the bike before turning onto Homerton Rd
> Ms Weir testified that Carl was left covered in blood - with the dad-of-four being pronounced dead days later. He had sustained fractures to his skull in the hit-and-run.
> The two week trial heard that Matthews and Ali were embroiled in a drugs turf war with Mr Eland.
> One witness, who has since died, told police that Matthews and Ali were selling crack cocaine in North Ormesby. Mr Eland was a convicted drug dealer.
> Matthews and Ali had bought the car that they used to kill Mr Eland the day before on August 20, from a private seller in Thornaby. Ali, who had no licence, bought and sold cars and claimed he sold the car onto homeless man Bradley Grimes, just hours after buying it.
> But police found Bradley Grimes out begging, he knew nothing of the white Vauxhall Insignia and was oblivious as to why Ali had put his name on the V5 document.
> Both men repeatedly lied to the police - denying that they had been in the car at the time of the crash, at 9pm on August 21. Both men chose not to take to the witness stand in their murder trial - as the prosecution's evidence mounted up against them.

Murderers saying it wasn't them, honest, guv?

That's unusual, isn't it?

> On Friday, Matthews, of Newcomen Green, Longlands, in Middlesbrough and Ali, of Dalwood Court in Hemlington, were in HMP Durham with sentencing likely on Friday, August 26.
> The family of Carl Eland have been left devastated at his death.
> Speaking after the verdict had been delivered, his mother Leona said: "As a family we are broken and as a mother I feel lost, my heart and soul are broken."
> "Carl’s girlfriend Kassi can’t move forward in any way, she feels so lost without him. My son was murdered and my best friend taken away from me forever. I will never see my only beautiful son again.
> "My only life that I have now have left is my grandchildren and they are so important to me. I don’t know how my grandchildren will cope without their Dad, they will never be able to see or hear him ever again.
> "When my son sadly passed away not only did he save Kassi’s life that night but he then went on to be an organ donor and saved three more lives. I’m so proud of my son in every way possible and we always looked out for each other.
> "Carl was kind, loving, funny and very generous to everyone. He had a heart of gold, he was very proud of his children and he loved his family and friends. His dogs were his passion and he cared about all animals.
> "I’m going to miss his smile and our chats that we had. He was my only chance for happiness and this has been taken from me."
> Detective Inspector Iain Pearson is from the Homicide Team at Cleveland Police. He said: "While nothing can sadly bring Carl Eland back, we hope that the verdict today helps the family to move forward with their lives. Carl’s family and friends have shown tremendous strength and resilience throughout the whole investigative and judicial process.
> "Their pain and suffering has been unnecessarily prolonged through the lies and deceit told by Joey Matthews and Brandon Ali, yet despite this those close to Carl have composed themselves respectfully. This verdict would not have been possible without information or support from the community and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the local community for assisting us with our investigation.
> "Information from members of the public is key in any investigation and anyone who does come forward with information to assist can be assured that they will be thoroughly supported by specially trained officers throughout any process. Cleveland Police detectives and staff from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are extremely committed to their work and it has been a privilege to witness their devotion in getting today’s result for Carl’s family and friends, for Kassi and the local community."

> https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/hit-run-murderers-drove-straight-24805685

No doubt these characters are the examples estates and areas look up to while aspiring to emulate, drugs and cars, not even a driving licence, how does that work without being caught, parents must be proud of their achievements no doubt, as long as it was lucrative enough, why not, what harm is there, hope the judge starts at a very high tariff, both will not be looking so cool, calm and detached when sentenced for sure, all greed and impunity.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/hit-run-murderers-drove-straight-24805685

“The two week trial heard that Matthews and Ali were embroiled in a drugs
turf war with Mr Eland.”

So this was a drugs war; the cycle was irrelevant.

They would in all likelihood have run him down had he been standing at a
bus stop.

--
Spike

20 years each I’m betting!
Bite the pillow time, pretty boys.
Absolute pair of cranks enjoy yourselves boys 😃
Welcome to Frankland prison
Big Boys now 😏
Enjoy being the big scaffolders girlfriend in jail boys

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> 20 years each I’m betting!
> Bite the pillow time, pretty boys.
> Absolute pair of cranks enjoy yourselves boys 😃
> Welcome to Frankland prison
> Big Boys now 😏
> Enjoy being the big scaffolders girlfriend in jail boys
It was a drugs-war killing. Are you really celebrating that?

You’re nuts.

--
Spike

QUOTE: Ali, of Dalwood Court, Hemlington, Middlesbrough, and Matthews, of Newcomen Green, Middlesbrough, were remanded in custody and are expected to be sentenced next week. ENDS

I will report their sentences when they're announced.

On 20/08/2022 05:56 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> No doubt these characters are the examples estates and areas look up to while aspiring to emulate, drugs and cars, not even a driving licence

....IOW, fully-qualified fairy-cyclists...

....how does that work without being caught, parents must be proud of
their achievements no doubt, as long as it was lucrative enough, why
not, what harm is there, hope the judge starts at a very high tariff,
both will not be looking so cool, calm and detached when sentenced for
sure, all greed and impunity.

...."impunity"...

Now *there's* a good word.

On 21/08/2022 09:58 am, Spike wrote:

> swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> 20 years each I’m betting!
>> Bite the pillow time, pretty boys.
>> Absolute pair of cranks enjoy yourselves boys 😃
>> Welcome to Frankland prison
>> Big Boys now 😏
>> Enjoy being the big scaffolders girlfriend in jail boys

> It was a drugs-war killing. Are you really celebrating that?

He is.

> You’re nuts.

He is.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> QUOTE: Ali, of Dalwood Court, Hemlington, Middlesbrough, and Matthews, of
> Newcomen Green, Middlesbrough, were remanded in custody and are expected
> to be sentenced next week. ENDS

> I will report their sentences when they're announced.

No shit!

Why break the habit of a lifetime ?

--
Spike

QUOTE: attempted grievous bodily harm of Mr Eland's girlfriend Kassi Weir. ENDS

I forgot about the girlfriend - extra jailtime for the killer drivers for that offence.
Good.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> QUOTE: attempted grievous bodily harm of Mr Eland's girlfriend Kassi Weir. ENDS

> I forgot about the girlfriend
Did you mean to say “In my rush to be spiteful and vindictive, I forgot
about the girlfriend”?

--
Spike

Some more details about the sheer wriggling from the killer driver.
---------------------------------------------
Teesside Crown Court heard on Friday that Matthews denied being responsible for the incident when questioned by police, saying he had ‘nothing’ to do with it and that he had been with his brother all night.

"That account was inconsistent with the CCTV evidence of him being in the Vauxhall Insignia at various points through the previous day," prosecutor Craig Hassall told the jury.

Mobile phone records were obtained for the two defendants’ phones, and investigators used cell site analysis and CCTV footage to identify whether their mobile phone usage was consistent with them being in the car.

Ali was arrested on August 23, two days after the incident, but asked officers: “What’s this all about?”. He denied any involvement and said he’d been visiting his ex-partner, in Hemlington, the evening before.

Ali told police he knew of Carl Eland but hadn’t seen him for several months.

The court heard a man called Ian Maughan contacted police a week after the hit-and-run, on August 28, to say he had been driving the white car when it crashed into Carl Eland.

He said he heard a small thud, and thought he had hit the curb (sic), but didn’t realise he had hit a cyclist.

Maughan was found to be in breach of a previous court order after making the comments, and while en route to prison, he could be heard saying he was “going to be paid £20 for taking the rap”.

Maughan later told police that he had been paid by defendants Ali and Matthews to say he was driving the Vauxhall insignia - and that he was asked him to “take the charge”.

Rewards for his false confession in claiming responsibility included clothing from JD sports, drugs and money. However, he died before proceedings returned to court earlier this week.

In the hours after the hit-and-run incident a local man called Graham Parker noticed smoke coming from a car, which he recognised as one identified by the police in an online appeal for information. Mr Parker said he also found a petrol canister nearby and he called the fire brigade to attend to the burnt out vehicle.

The jury heard evidence from Carl Eland’s ex-partner Kassi Weir, who was also targeted in the hit-and-run, who answered questions relating to the months’ leading up Carl Eland’s death.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> Some more details about the sheer wriggling from the killer driver.

<snip>

One is forced to wonder why you are so interested in the minutiae of the
case such that you post this tawdry detail of a drugs-war-related crime.

--
Spike

Special Constable Raoul Parker:

At around 5pm, I became aware of smoke rising near where I was at Cleveland Police station. I made my way towards the smoke - I could tell this was a vehicle fire. I could smell burning plastic and hear a vehicle horn. There was a white Vauxhall Insignia ablaze. I recognised this vehicle as the one that had been involved in an earlier hit and run incident.

The fire destroyed the inside of the vehicle. I arranged for a full forensic exam of this vehicle. In the undergrowth, I located a green petrol can.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> Special Constable Raoul Parker:

> At around 5pm, I became aware of smoke rising near where I was at
> Cleveland Police station. I made my way towards the smoke - I could tell
> this was a vehicle fire. I could smell burning plastic and hear a vehicle
> horn. There was a white Vauxhall Insignia ablaze. I recognised this
> vehicle as the one that had been involved in an earlier hit and run incident.

> The fire destroyed the inside of the vehicle. I arranged for a full
> forensic exam of this vehicle. In the undergrowth, I located a green petrol can.

Was there a point that you’re failing to make?

--
Spike

Ali says, ‘’I’ll ring yous’’ to people sitting in the public gallery of the court.

Is he allowed one phone call? :-)

On 22/08/2022 07:37 am, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Ali says, ‘’I’ll ring yous’’ to people sitting in the public gallery of the court.
>
> Is he allowed one phone call? :-)

That's actually quite witty.

Credit where credit is due!

QUOTE: Brandon Ali and Joey Matthews had both denied murder and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, but were found guilty of both charges.

Jurors had heard the 21-year-olds deliberately drove on to the pavement to hit Mr Eland. They will be sentenced on 26 August. ENDS

This Friday then - jail awaits these scum drivers.

On 22/08/2022 11:11 am, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> QUOTE: Brandon Ali and Joey Matthews had both denied murder and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, but were found guilty of both charges.

You obviously didn't know, but that *frequently* happens in criminal trials.

It's the whole point of the trial: defendants tend to deny such
allegations. Charlie Alliston did the same same: tried to blame his dead
victim.

> Jurors had heard the 21-year-olds deliberately drove on to the pavement to hit Mr Eland. They will be sentenced on 26 August. ENDS
> This Friday then - jail awaits these scum drivers.

Did they actually HAVE a licence (or insurance) between them?

If not, they're just fairy-cyclists, nothing more.

Here are the two convicted murderers inspecting the car they denied ever seeing.
Silly boys. :-)

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/14E18/production/_126382558_fd04d69f-1549-4f7f-87a3-e4b00e3ad5bc.jpg

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> QUOTE: Brandon Ali and Joey Matthews had both denied murder and
> attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, but were found
> guilty of both charges.

> Jurors had heard the 21-year-olds deliberately drove on to the pavement
> to hit Mr Eland. They will be sentenced on 26 August. ENDS

> This Friday then - jail awaits these scum drivers.
Technically, they are scum drug runners, but you never seem to mention this
key point.

--
Spike

QUOTE: Earlier in the trial, jurors listened to Matthews' recorded conversation with his mother in which he said: “I’m looking at 25 years you daft cow.”

His mother said: “You’re not though are you because you’re not guilty, are you?”

Matthews replied: “Yeah, I f****** am though, aren’t I.”

Mr Eland died after suffering fatal injuries when he was knocked from a bike in the Homerton Road and Gribdale Road area of Middlesbrough on August 21, 2021. ENDS

What a charming young murderer he is.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> QUOTE: Earlier in the trial, jurors listened to Matthews' recorded
> conversation with his mother in which he said: “I’m looking at 25 years you daft cow.”

> His mother said: “You’re not though are you because you’re not guilty, are you?”

> Matthews replied: “Yeah, I f****** am though, aren’t I.”

> Mr Eland died after suffering fatal injuries when he was knocked from a
> bike in the Homerton Road and Gribdale Road area of Middlesbrough on August 21, 2021. ENDS

> What a charming young murderer he is.

That applies to all in the trade in illegal drugs. Note that evidence
given in court showed all parties in the incident were involved in drugs,
hence this part of the local drugs war, at least one of them having a
previous conviction.

--
Spike

QUOTE: A SECOND man accused of murdering Middlesbrough dad Carl Eland in a targeted hit and run has made his first appearance before a judge Joey Matthews, 20, attended the hearing at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday via videolink from Durham Prison.

Wearing a grey sports jacket, Matthews spoke only to confirm his name.

He faces two charges - murder and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. ENDS

Two killer drivers for the price of one - double bubble.