Hit-and-run murder probe after mum rammed off e-bike

A mother killed when she was rammed off an e-bike in a hit-and-run crash has been named by police.

Alana Armstrong, 25, was a passenger on one of two e-bikes that were pursued by a 4x4 in Pleasley, Derbyshire, on Tuesday evening.

The rider - a man in his 20s - was taken to hospital where one of his legs had to be amputated below the knee after their bike was struck by the dark-coloured vehicle on a country lane.

Derbyshire Police have launched a murder inquiry and a man and woman, previously arrested in connection with the incident, have been released without charge.

The force has released a photo of a woman it "urgently" wants to speak to about Ms Armstrong's death.

Officers said their thoughts were with the family of Ms Armstrong, from Tibshelf in Derbyshire, following the crash, which happened in Batley Lane at about 20:00 GMT.

"Alana was just 25 – and a mum to a six-year-old boy," Ch Supt Dave Kirby said.

"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."

Police said the car that rammed the e-bike had pursued the bikes through the village of Pleasley, with the last known sighting of it in Rowthorne Lane, where it turned right on to the A617 towards New Houghton.

A man was driving the vehicle, with a woman in the passenger seat, the force added.

Officers want to hear from people who might have seen a Land Rover Discovery, thought to have been manufactured between 2004 and 2009, in and around the Pleasley area around the time of the crash.

The force said the woman it wanted to speak to was pictured outside The White Swan in Meden Square, Pleasley, shortly before 20:00 on Tuesday.

She is believed to have "vital information" about the incident, it said.

Ch Supt Kirby said: "We have already received a significant amount of information from the public and I want to thank everyone who has come forward already to help our investigation.

"However, I know that there is more information out there – and there are people who know who the person responsible is.

"If you were the driver of the vehicle, come forward and talk to us. We'll be coming to speak to you at some point... tell us what happened.

"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."

Ch Supt Kirby was asked if the people in vehicle were known to Ms Armstrong, but he said the investigation was in its early stages and detectives were "keeping an open mind".

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.