Bobby and Gary Ternent murdered their friend Jon Avers (Credit: Metropolitan Police)
Gary Ternent, 59, and his son Bobby, 32, both of Movers Lane, ran over their friend John Avers four times in an Iceland car park.
They first arranged to meet John in Wood Lane and later drove him to the car park in Whalebone Lane South on the evening of 13 September 2020.
There was an altercation between the three men and Bobby dragged John out of the silver BMW X6 and onto the ground.
CCTV footage showed Bobby holding John to the floor while Gary attempted to run him over but for some unknown reason Gary was unable to move the vehicle.
The two men switched places and Bobby drove over the victim, pausing only to let his father get out of the way.
John Avers was a successful businessman (Credit: MPS)
Bobby then turned the car around and ran over John again while his father watched.
Gary got back into the vehicle but instead of fleeing the scene, they drove over John for a third and fourth time.
They then went home where Bobby got rid of his shorts and shoes. He also drove the car a short distance away and set fire to it.
The vehicle had been bought only a month before the murder and had false plates to try and stop police from tracing it back to Bobby.
Meanwhile, police officers found John in a large pool of his own blood and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
He had suffered many fractures to his skull, sternum, pelvis and his left-thigh bone. Around 22 of his 24 ribs were fractured which resulted in six separate penetrating wounds to his lungs. He also had injuries to his heart and liver.
The vehicle used to kill John Avers (Credit: MPS)
Detectives launched a murder investigation and reviewed CCTV footage which captured the killing as well as the Ternents movements before and after it.
Bobby was arrested six days later while driving on the M2 in Gravesend while Gary was detained at a guest house in Southend-on-Sea.
During a police interview, Bobby claimed John had asked him to look after £40,000 worth of stolen drug money.
He said they were supposed to give the cash back to him on the day of the murder but he was angry the money was short and threatened to kill his wife and children.
Bobby claimed he took the threat seriously and tried to drive over John’s legs to stop him from getting up. He ran him over a second time because he thought he had missed the first time.
He said he did not see his father holding John down and denied running him over a third and fourth time.
During Gary and Bobby’s trial, the jury was told John was not a ‘big time villain’, but a successful businessman who owned a company that specialised in sash windows.
They were found guilty of murder following the trial at the Old Bailey on Friday, 28 of January. They will be sentenced at the same court on Thursday, 10 February.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, the senior investigating officer, said: “This was nothing short of a cold and calculated execution.
“What Bobby and Gary did to their supposed good friend was absolutely shocking and was extremely distressing for those who witnessed it and those who have had to watch the graphic CCTV.
“John was already lying defenceless on the floor, there is absolutely no excuse that can justify holding him down and then running him over not once, not twice, but four times. It is barbaric.
“I am pleased that the jury agreed with the overwhelming evidence we collected against Bobby and Gary and found them both guilty of murder. It has been a very difficult time for John’s family and friends but I hope the fact that the Ternents now face a lengthy stint behind bars helps give them a small measure of comfort and closure.”
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