CathyBogart
08-14-2007, 11:34 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/6944814.stm
A biker who was killed as he rode along the M40 in Warwickshire died from a single bullet to the back of his head.
The motorcyclist, thought to be in his 30s and from the south of England, had been at a nearby biker rally on Sunday.
Police said biker gangs were a line of inquiry but there were no reports of incidents at the Bulldog Bash.
But police said the rally may have been used to track down the victim. The M40 near Leamington Spa was closed for more than 24 hours following the murder.
It was fully reopened on Monday afternoon.
The motorcyclist, who died on the southbound carriageway between junctions 13 and 12, is thought to have been a member of the Hell's Angels.
Det Supt Ken Lawrence, from Warwickshire Police, said: "We are not aware of any incidents at the Bulldog Bash event which could be directly linked to the death.
"But the event gathers huge numbers of people from across Europe, and if someone was seeking revenge, the event would be a good place to find someone."
Detectives want to speak to the driver and occupants of a green Rover 620, which was seen travelling south on the M40 close to a group of motorcyclists around the time of the incident.
Detectives are keen to hear from any motorists travelling on the A46 near junction 15 on Sunday afternoon who may have seen the green Rover.
The biker, who was travelling with two Polish friends, is thought to have joined the M40 from the A46 at junction 15 after leaving the Bulldog Bash at Long Marston near Stratford, Warwickshire.
The motorway, which was closed from Sunday afternoon until Monday afternoon, has been searched and police are watching CCTV footage from cameras monitoring the road.
Mr Lawrence said police were examining a similar shooting involving bikers from the Bulldog Bash six years ago.
"There are similarities but that doesn't mean necessarily that they are linked," he said.
In that incident, three bikers were shot at on the M40 as they returned from the Bulldog Bash, but were not killed.
*********************************
AND....the update...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/coventry_warwickshire/6946346.stm
A biker who was shot dead with a single bullet to the back of the head was followed onto the motorway by his murderer, police have said.
Gerard Michael Tobin, 35, from Mottingham, south London, was riding on the M40 near Leamington Spa when he was killed on Sunday afternoon.
Mr Tobin had earlier visited the Bulldog Bash motorcycle festival at Long Marston airfield.
Detectives said they believed it was a pre-planned shooting.
Det Supt Ken Lawrence, of Warwickshire Police, said Mr Tobin and two friends had been travelling down the A46 towards the M40 roundabout after the event.
He said that as the three motorcyclists rode past a lay-by on the road, a green Rover 600 series car pulled out and started following them.
'Good character'
Detectives said that several miles after joining the motorway, the green car - which had two or three people in it - overtook two of the three motorcycles and shot at Mr Tobin.
Two shots are believed to have been fired, although only one hit Mr Tobin on his head just below his helmet.
He fell from his bike, which careered down the road for up to 200 yards before veering off the carriageway.
Other vehicles on the road braked hard and stopped but the Rover carried on and was not seen again, Det Supt Lawrence said.
He added that Mr Tobin, who was in a stable relationship and worked as a mechanic, was "hard-working" and "a man of good character".
He was a Canadian who had lived in the UK for the last 10 years and police said they did not know if he had been affiliated to the Hells Angels.
Det Supt Lawrence said Mr Tobin had not come to the attention of the police before and there was nothing in his past to indicate why anyone would want to murder him.
He said: "Astonishing is the best word to describe this case.
"It is an incredible story. This man was travelling at some speed - we think about 70mph - I don't know of anything quite like this happening before."
Warwickshire Police said they had already received more than 200 calls from the public with information about the incident.
Previous shooting
However, they urged any more witnesses to come forward who saw the car or Mr Tobin's distinctive black Harley Davidson FXSTB motorcycle.
A spokesman said the other two bikers who had been in convoy with Mr Tobin were helping police with their enquiries.
Specially-trained officers carried out a fingertip search on the stretch of the motorway on Sunday and Monday and police are now studying footage of the motorway.
Detectives said they were also examining a similar shooting involving bikers from the Bulldog Bash six years ago.
In that incident, three bikers were shot at on the M40 as they returned from the event, but survived.
The person responsible for that attack has never been caught.
The Bulldog Bash is one of the most popular biker parties in Europe and attracts tens of thousands of motorcyclists and music fans from across Europe.
A biker who was killed as he rode along the M40 in Warwickshire died from a single bullet to the back of his head.
The motorcyclist, thought to be in his 30s and from the south of England, had been at a nearby biker rally on Sunday.
Police said biker gangs were a line of inquiry but there were no reports of incidents at the Bulldog Bash.
But police said the rally may have been used to track down the victim. The M40 near Leamington Spa was closed for more than 24 hours following the murder.
It was fully reopened on Monday afternoon.
The motorcyclist, who died on the southbound carriageway between junctions 13 and 12, is thought to have been a member of the Hell's Angels.
Det Supt Ken Lawrence, from Warwickshire Police, said: "We are not aware of any incidents at the Bulldog Bash event which could be directly linked to the death.
"But the event gathers huge numbers of people from across Europe, and if someone was seeking revenge, the event would be a good place to find someone."
Detectives want to speak to the driver and occupants of a green Rover 620, which was seen travelling south on the M40 close to a group of motorcyclists around the time of the incident.
Detectives are keen to hear from any motorists travelling on the A46 near junction 15 on Sunday afternoon who may have seen the green Rover.
The biker, who was travelling with two Polish friends, is thought to have joined the M40 from the A46 at junction 15 after leaving the Bulldog Bash at Long Marston near Stratford, Warwickshire.
The motorway, which was closed from Sunday afternoon until Monday afternoon, has been searched and police are watching CCTV footage from cameras monitoring the road.
Mr Lawrence said police were examining a similar shooting involving bikers from the Bulldog Bash six years ago.
"There are similarities but that doesn't mean necessarily that they are linked," he said.
In that incident, three bikers were shot at on the M40 as they returned from the Bulldog Bash, but were not killed.
*********************************
AND....the update...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/coventry_warwickshire/6946346.stm
A biker who was shot dead with a single bullet to the back of the head was followed onto the motorway by his murderer, police have said.
Gerard Michael Tobin, 35, from Mottingham, south London, was riding on the M40 near Leamington Spa when he was killed on Sunday afternoon.
Mr Tobin had earlier visited the Bulldog Bash motorcycle festival at Long Marston airfield.
Detectives said they believed it was a pre-planned shooting.
Det Supt Ken Lawrence, of Warwickshire Police, said Mr Tobin and two friends had been travelling down the A46 towards the M40 roundabout after the event.
He said that as the three motorcyclists rode past a lay-by on the road, a green Rover 600 series car pulled out and started following them.
'Good character'
Detectives said that several miles after joining the motorway, the green car - which had two or three people in it - overtook two of the three motorcycles and shot at Mr Tobin.
Two shots are believed to have been fired, although only one hit Mr Tobin on his head just below his helmet.
He fell from his bike, which careered down the road for up to 200 yards before veering off the carriageway.
Other vehicles on the road braked hard and stopped but the Rover carried on and was not seen again, Det Supt Lawrence said.
He added that Mr Tobin, who was in a stable relationship and worked as a mechanic, was "hard-working" and "a man of good character".
He was a Canadian who had lived in the UK for the last 10 years and police said they did not know if he had been affiliated to the Hells Angels.
Det Supt Lawrence said Mr Tobin had not come to the attention of the police before and there was nothing in his past to indicate why anyone would want to murder him.
He said: "Astonishing is the best word to describe this case.
"It is an incredible story. This man was travelling at some speed - we think about 70mph - I don't know of anything quite like this happening before."
Warwickshire Police said they had already received more than 200 calls from the public with information about the incident.
Previous shooting
However, they urged any more witnesses to come forward who saw the car or Mr Tobin's distinctive black Harley Davidson FXSTB motorcycle.
A spokesman said the other two bikers who had been in convoy with Mr Tobin were helping police with their enquiries.
Specially-trained officers carried out a fingertip search on the stretch of the motorway on Sunday and Monday and police are now studying footage of the motorway.
Detectives said they were also examining a similar shooting involving bikers from the Bulldog Bash six years ago.
In that incident, three bikers were shot at on the M40 as they returned from the event, but survived.
The person responsible for that attack has never been caught.
The Bulldog Bash is one of the most popular biker parties in Europe and attracts tens of thousands of motorcyclists and music fans from across Europe.