A businesswoman has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of an e-bike rider, whom she deliberately rammed with her Range Rover during a violent personal feud in Bournemouth.
A Campaign of Vengeance on Bournemouth Streets
Zoe Treadwell, 36, was told she must serve a minimum of 35 years after being found guilty of murdering 28-year-old Joey Johnstone. The court heard she took the law into her own hands in April last year, chasing Mr Johnstone at speeds reaching 75mph on residential roads before ramming him from his bike.
Prosecutors described how Treadwell, a mother-of-three, targeted, located, hunted and then mowed down Mr Johnstone as part of an ongoing grudge. This attack was not an isolated incident. Several weeks later, she enlisted an associate, 25-year-old Jonjay Harrison, to pursue her ex-boyfriend, Josh Lovell.
Harrison used a Mercedes to ram into Mr Lovell's bike on 1st May, also knocking off passenger Free Jenkins, 30, who suffered life-changing injuries including the partial amputation of his leg. Harrison was jailed for life with a minimum term of 32 years.
Devastation Left in the Wake of Violence
The court was presented with harrowing victim impact statements detailing the profound loss caused by Treadwell's actions. A statement from Mr Johnstone's partner, Sophie Quinn, revealed their young children are struggling to comprehend their father's absence.
"Our five-year-old daughter shouts 'daddy's home' whenever she hears noise at the door, while our nine-year-old son cries himself to sleep," Ms Quinn said. She described suffering from PTSD, anxiety, depression and insomnia, asking, "How can I support them when I'm broken?"
Mr Johnstone's mother, Michelle Rush, said her "head is a complete mess" and that she is on medication. "I will finally be at peace when I'm back in the arms of my son," she told the court.
Justice Served as Courtroom Erupts
Sentencing Treadwell at Winchester Crown Court, Mr Justice Thomas Linden acknowledged that Mr Johnstone had been goading her by cycling around her house. However, he stated unequivocally: "Your response was wholly unjustified and disproportionate - you are not entitled to take the law into your own hands, you could have stayed in the house and called the police."
He emphasised that Mr Johnstone's children had been "left fatherless by your actions". When the life sentence was announced, the public gallery erupted in cheers and clapping, with one person shouting: "May you rot in hell, Zoe."
Senior crown prosecutor Kate Lewis said the acts represented "an appalling disregard for human life", where cars were used intentionally as weapons. "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," she stated.
The court heard the feud first erupted after Treadwell's acrimonious break-up with Mr Lovell, drawing in numerous people in the Bournemouth area. Two other defendants, Taylor Warwick, 18, and a 17-year-old boy, were found not guilty of murder and the alternative charge of manslaughter.
