Man convicted of murdering man with car in East Ham

A man has been convicted of murdering a man with his car – ten months after he injured a pair of security guards by driving at them.

On Monday, 12 January, a jury at Inner London Crown Court found Trevelle Rowland, 34 (15.01.1991), of Cornelia Street, Islington, guilty of murder, dangerous driving and two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm.

Detective Inspector Aytac Necati – who led the investigation – said: “Rowland is an extremely dangerous man. He used his car as a weapon against three men – one of whom tragically lost his life.

“Rowland is also a devious liar. He misled police about the initial attack, in which he ran his car into a pair of security guards over a trivial dispute – only to go on to kill another man using the exact same method. Both of the incidents were captured on CCTV.

“We would like to express our sympathies to the family of Fergany Mvuezolo, and to Rowland's two living victims. The defendant has left a trail of destruction in his wake.

“The investigation into Rowland was traditional and people-focused, with officers at the murder scene quickly establishing the killer's identity by speaking to witnesses. This allowed police to swiftly apprehend him, before he could flee the country.”

Around 05:20hrs on Sunday, 24 March, 2024, officers attended Barking Road, East Ham, with the London Ambulance Service following reports of a collision.

Fergany, 35, was found severely injured at the scene. Officers administered first aid, but he was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.

Using CCTV evidence, witness testimony and mobile phone footage, investigators were able to build a graphic picture of the events preceding the fatal crash.

The victim, who was known to the killer, was among a group of men who became involved in a disagreement with Rowland outside a restaurant. The defendant left the scene in his car, a VW Tiguan – only to return shortly after and run it into defenceless Fergany.

Officers spoke to witnesses at the scene, who knew Rowland and identified him as the driver of the VW. A manhunt ensued.

Rowland was arrested at Heathrow Airport later that day while trying to flee the country. On Rowland's person, officers found a receipt for the restaurant in Barking Road – directly linking him to the crime scene.

Police subsequently linked the incident in East Ham to a similar attack ten months prior. On the morning of Monday, 29 May 2023, Rowland had driven the same VW into a pair of security guards outside a pub in Ripple Road, Barking. This came following an argument with the men after they asked him to remove a baseball cap.

One of the security guards was thrown up onto the bonnet of the car, and sustained injuries to his right knee and his ankle. The other guard suffered a minor injury to his hand.

Later that morning, officers impounded the VW after finding it parked in Barley Close, Dartford.

On Tuesday, 30 May, Rowland attended Dagenham police station to enquire about the car. He lied to officers, claiming he had no knowledge of the incident outside the Barking pub. Instead, he maintained that he had rented the vehicle to an associate.

Rowland repeated this lie during an interview in June 2023 – but his victims later both identified him as the man who drove the VW at them. Rowland was subsequently charged with murder and two counts of attempted Section 18 grievous bodily harm.

Rowland will be sentenced on Thursday, 15 January.