The family of a biker who died last year when a rival motorbike gang mowed him down are calling for his killers to be handed tougher sentences.
David Crawford, 59, was riding on the A38 in Plymouth, Devon in May last year, when he was sighted by three members of the rival Bandidos gang.
Benjamin Parry, 42, Thomas Pawley, 32, and Chad Brading, 36, were convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder after a trial heard they ‘deliberately targeted’ him.
Parry, who the judge described as having a ‘significant, if not leading’ role in Mr Crawford’s death was sentenced to 12 years, while the others received four years each.
Mr Crawford’s family believe the sentences handed to Parry, Pawley and Brading were too lenient and want to take their fight to the Court of Appeal.
David Crawford’s family believe the sentences handed to Parry, Pawley and Brading were too lenient and want to take their fight to the Court of Appeal
Mr Crawford’s daughter Janice paid tribute to him, saying he had a ‘soft heart’ and enjoyed going for rides to look at nature
Speaking to MailOnline, Janice Crawford, 32, from Ivybridge, Devon, said she ‘did not think justice has done anything for my dad’.
The family are calling for the Attorney General to review their sentences for being unduly lenient.
She said: ‘It’s failed him big time. My dad was robbed of a murder trial. I attended all the way through the trial, which was absolutely horrific.
‘Seeing the evidence given, the video footage, we were shown [it] over and over again.’
Benjamin Parry (pictured), 42, was sentenced to 12 years for manslaughter for his ‘significant’ role in the killing
Chad Brading (left), 36, and Thomas Pawley (right), 32, were each sentenced to four years for the manslaughter of David Crawford
Sean Brunton KC, defending Parry, said his client hit Mr Crawford (pictured) but claimed it was ‘nothing other than a spur of the moment act’ and a ‘catastrophic error of judgement by him’
‘We were there as a family supporting each other. We were there for dad and we saw it through until the end.’
On May 12 last year, Mr Crawford, who was lovingly known as ‘Mad Dog’ to friends and family, was riding on his motorcycle along the St Budeaux slip road when he was spotted by a rival gang of bikers.
During a trial at Plymouth Crown Court, the jury heard how a car blocked his path before Mr Crawford was knocked off his bike from behind by a transit van, with Parry at the wheel.
The jury were shown ‘sickening’ dashcam footage of the collision.
Mr Crawford was dragged for nearly a mile and a half under the van and left for dead by the side of the road, suffering horrific injuries which caused his death.
But the jury could not be sure if the three men had intended to kill Mr Crawford or cause him serious harm and found them guilty of manslaughter by joint enterprise.
The jury was told the Devon-based Bandidos Motorcycle Club had an issue with the Cornish-based rivals Red Chiefs riding in their county with their colours.
Benjamin Parry slamming into the back of David Crawford’s Kawasaki motorcycle on a slip-road of the A38 near Plymouth, Devon
Aerial shot of the location where Mr Crawford was dislodged from the van after being dragged hundreds of metres
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The clothing David Crawford was wearing when he was killed by rival gang members
It was considered ‘insulting’ for a member of a motorcycle club to ride in a rival club’s patch wearing their ‘colours’, the court heard.
Mr Crawford’s daughter Janice slammed the three men, saying: ‘They have run down somebody who was just going home, who was wearing a different jacket to what they were wearing.
‘They have no right to. It’s childish and quite frankly disgusting what they did to my dad.’
Mr Crawford loved music and loved to watch rugby with his daughter Janice.
He also enjoyed going for rides to look at nature, to the nearby coast and inland moors.
In dashcam footage, David Crawford (pictured), 59, is seen being knocked off his bike before being dragged hundreds of metres under the van and left for dead by the side of the A38 near Plymouth, Devon
‘He kept himself to himself,’ Ms Crawford said.
‘He had a soft heart to the people who knew him the most. He would do anything for anybody.
‘I’m his stepdaughter, he didn’t have to take me on as his own, that meant a lot to me. It made me love him all the more for that
‘My dad didn’t deserve what happened to him. No one deserves what happened to him.’
In a police interview, Brading claimed ‘nobody set out to kill anybody.’
He added: ‘It was just never meant to happen’.
Sean Brunton KC, defending Parry, said his client hit Mr Crawford but claimed it was ‘nothing other than a spur of the moment act’ and a ‘catastrophic error of judgement by him’.
Tributes are laid to David Crawford near to where he was killed on the A38 near Plymouth
The jury heard that Mr Crawford had suffered ‘very significant mental and physical torture’ before his death.
A Home Office pathologist found he suffered multiple rib fractures – 18 fractures on his left side and 25 on his right. Both lungs had suffered multiple punctures, caused by the fractured ribs.
Mr Crawford’s family have launched a petition to request the Attorney General reviews their sentences as part of the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme, which has received more than 2,300 signatures.
Janice added: ‘This whole year has been a complete nightmare, from when we found out dad has died and its still going on.
‘We’re still having to fight for justice for my dad.’
Mr Crawford’s family remember him as someone who had a ‘soft heart’
Their local MP Gary Streeter has also said he is taking up the cause in Parliament by writing tot he Attorney General.
He said: ‘I, like most people locally, found this to be a shocking and utterly unacceptable brutal killing of an innocent man.
‘So I was absolutely enthusiastic to refer this to the Attorney General, get her to look at all the detail, and decide whether 12 years – which effectively means eight years – is far too lenient for taking a man’s life.’
If the government agrees, the case could be referred to the Court of Appeal.
To sign the petition, please click here.
