Residents' shock as young mum killed in hit-and-run murder in quiet village

On Batley Lane just outside the village of Pleasley on the border of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, there are just three houses. I’m here at 20 past four on a Friday afternoon, and a car passes by maybe once every five minutes.

It is a quiet, country road with almost no traffic at the height of the day. So what led a land rover to drive into a couple straddled on an e-bike, killing one and mutilating the other, at 8pm on a Tuesday night (November 26)?

Police are treating the incident as a murder. But they have no idea who did it or why.

It wasn’t in the middle of the night. It was a young couple who were on the bike - with the woman who was killed, 25-year-old Alana Armstrong, a mother to a six-year-old son.

And what’s most interesting is that the news had all but eluded the residents of this small village until they heard it on the news this morning.

“My neighbour told me about it,” says one lady who doesn’t want to be named. “It was a shock.

“It’s a country lane, so if it happened after 5pm or so it would’ve been completely dark. There’s no lights.

“It’s a nice quiet area, if you like. There are cars that are up and down here going pretty fast. They've got to slow down by the end though because it’s a windy road.

“My partner rides a bike and so do three or four other people but no one bothers them. They all ride around the country park.”

Another man attests that the village was caught completely unaware by the news. “I didn’t know until I saw it on the telly this morning,” said the 82-year-old, who again wants to remain anonymous.

“I thought: what’s gone off? It’s only about half a mile from my house. There’s lots of people here who haven’t even picked it up yet. Even in the pub they’ve still not all heard about it. They were going: Hey? What’s happened?”

Alan Austin has lived nearby for 50 years. He said: “I know the lane. You wouldn’t go speeding on there. It’s very narrow and it’s hard to pass.

“I don’t know her name. I’ve just this minute read it on my phone. I were a bit shocked to be honest. We usually hear if there’s ambulances going up and down.

“It seems strange that somebody might have gone chasing them. Why would they do that?

“It must’ve happened like that or they wouldn’t be treating it as a murder I wouldn’t think.

“I don’t see many e-bikes. We see quite a lot of cars speeding up here. But it’s usually pretty good and pretty quiet.

“Things have changed a bit. At one time we felt safe. You don’t feel as safe at night walking up and down here now. I’ve seen people with hoods and backpacks on late at night. We’ve had a few break-ins in sheds late at night - that sort of thing.”

The collision involved an e-bike and a dark coloured 4x4, believed to be a Land Rover Discovery, which had followed two e-bikes before ramming one of them, causing the rider and the passenger on the back to fall off the bike. The car then drove off from the scene without stopping.

The bike was ridden by a man in his 20s, who has had to have his leg amputated below the knee as a result of the incident. A man and a woman, both in their 30s and from the Skegby area, were arrested in connection with the incident but have since been released without charge and ruled out of the investigation.

Derbyshire police's Chief Superintendent Dave Kirby said: “Alana was just 25 – and a mum to a six-year-old boy. Her little boy, along with her wider family, will never get the chance to see her again, hug her again, spend Christmas together, or celebrate all those milestones.

"My thoughts, as well as those of the whole force and community, are with them at this time." The Land Rover Discovery, believed to be one manufactured between 2004 and 2009, drove off up Batley Lane – onto Rowthorne Lane – and the last known sighting of it was turning right onto the A617 towards New Houghton, the force said.

They added that, despite receiving a significant amount of information, officers are still looking to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the incident, as "there are people who know who the person responsible is". Chief Supt Kirby added that a man is believed to have been driving the car, while a woman is believed to have been in the passenger seat.

He said: “Finally – I want to return to Alana. As an officer, as a member of the local community, and as a father, I am devastated for her little boy, her family and her friends and we will do all we can to find those responsible.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Derbyshire police by calling 101 or via a number of online methods. You can also anonymously contact the independent charity CrimeStoppers, on 0800 555 111, or by visiting the CrimeStoppers website.