Man who went on the run for 24 years after killing two cyclists in Cheshire jailed

A man ​who went on the run for 24 years after being convicted of killing of two cyclists is finally behind bars after police in Cheshire tracked him down to France, where he was living under an assumed name.

Huseyin Ozkaram, aged 53 was bailed in August 2000 after being convicted of causing the deaths the previous November by dangerous driving of cyclists Bryan Kenealy, 69, from Liverpool and Roger Harris, 66, who lived in Crewe.

But ahead of a scheduled sentencing hearing in mid-September 2000, he skipped bail and despite an arrest warrant being issued remained at large for almost a quarter of a century.

A cold case review launched last year by Cheshire Constabulary’s Force Intelligence Unit resulted in Uzkaram being extradited from France on 27 March and the force says that last Thursday he was sentenced at Chester Crown Court to 12 years and eight months in jail.

The two cyclists had been riding together near Clotton in Cheshire on 2 November 1999 when Uzkaram failed to give way at a junction and crashed into another car, with both vehicles then hitting the pair of riders, fatally injuring both of them.

After he failed to appear for sentencing, police conducted an extensive and long-running investigation to try and establish his whereabouts, including launching an appeal on the BBC TV programme, Crimewatch.

While there was no record of him ever having left the UK, he was ultimately traced to France by officers who used specialist kit to match images of him to a social media user whom they believed was Uzkaram, using a false name.

With the help of law enforcement agencies in France, they were also able to establish the address of the man they believed to be the fugitive, and eventually bring him to justice.

The cold case review was led by Detective Chief Inspector Amber Hodson, who said: “Ozkara was always on our radar, however, with technology rapidly improving the tools of our trade in recent years, our ability to find those who deny victims and their families the justice they deserve quadruples.

“That’s something we’re really proud of and keeps us doggedly on the trail of those who seek to evade justice – no matter how long they have been wanted for and where in the world they are hiding.”

She continued: “We believe Ozkara had been living illegally in France under an alias to prevent being detected and has probably done so since 2000. We worked with CPS to extradite Ozkara back to the UK and informed the relatives of the two men.

“To see him finally in court to face the judge was a bittersweet moment. This should have happened decades ago, but Ozkara selfishly denied families closure and has wrought long-suffering hurt and distress to the families, but we are so pleased and thankful that we and the family finally got to see him get the justice he deserves.”

“The lives of the families of Bryan Kenealy and Roger Harris changed forever when they were taken from them that day – a day that should have been an enjoyable bike ride on an autumnal sunny day. Now, 24 years on, they have finally got the justice Ozkara had denied them,” DCI Hodson added.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Harris’s daughter said that her mother, who passed away 10 years after being widowed, had spent the decade before her death trying to track down Ozkara, without success.

“Ozkara took from us and was too cowardly to face the consequences,” she said. “I hope that now we get to face him in court and get justice for my dad and my mum,” she added.