7:22 am, September 22, 2025
A used car dealer who attempted to help a road rage killer evade justice has been jailed for more than two years.
Mark Twizell hid a Mitsubishi Shogun belonging to friend Jake McIntyre, after the vehicle was identified as being involved in an attack on 39-year-old Andrew Peart, who later died in hospital.
The motor trader kept the vehicle on a plot he used to store used car stock and gave the killer an alternative BMW which he used to flee the area.
The Mitsubishi was eventually tracked down by police and Twizell, 41, admitted to assisting an offender during an appearance at Newcastle Crown Court (pictured) in June.
He returned to court last Thursday (Sep 18) where he was handed a prison term of two years and three months.
The court heard Peart had been crossing the road when McIntyre, 29, began honking his horn at him.
The pair later became involved in a physical altercation which saw the driver attack his victim with a weapon, believed to be a wheel brace.
He then punched Peart, leaving him on the floor as he left the scene.
The victim’s injuries were described as ‘catastrophic’ and he died eight days later as a result of a skull fracture and brain injury.
Mark Twizell ©Northumbria Police
‘Acting out of misguided loyalty’
Twizell became involved in the incident after going to the gym with McIntyre and agreeing to let his friend park the Shogan outside his home.
The BBC reports that the car dealer then travelled to Glasgow to buy a Vauxhall Astra, leaving another man to ‘secrete’ the Shogun on a plot of land Twizell had access to.
Messages between the pair were read out in court, laying bare the extent of the Ashington car dealer’s involvement.
In one message, Twizell told McIntyre: ‘Keep your head down, [if] you need [anything] let me know.’
McIntyre replied: ‘Just going to chill out the way today, appreciate it, love you brother.’
McIntyre later bemoaned the ‘nightmare’ of having to hide from the police as a result of ‘giving some crack head street justice’.
In another message, Twizell told an associate that McIntyre had ‘filled some lad in’.
Speaking in court, Judge Edward Bindloss revealed that no forensic evidence was able to be taken from the Shogun, as it was not found until six months later – by which time it had been sold on and ‘traded through several people’.
In mitigation, Twizell’s lawyer, Susan Hirst, said her client had not known about the severity of the attack and that he felt ‘betrayed’ by his ‘old friend’.
She added: ‘If he had known the true extent of what had taken place he would never have helped Mr McIntyre at all.’
Addressing Twizzell at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, Judge Bindloss said: ‘I accept you may have felt some pressure to act as you did. I accept your actions didn’t prevent the police from identifying Mr McIntyre as being the person responsible for the injuries.
‘You thought you were helping someone to avoid being detected for an assault that had put a man in hospital. There’s no evidence you thought a weapon was involved and there’s no evidence you thought this was a fatal assault.
‘I find there was a risk here that your actions impaired the interests of justice in a key issue in the murder trial.
‘References show you are a good dad and a good man. You are a self-employed businessman selling and buying cars. I accept you were acting out of misguided loyalty and out of character for someone who was your best friend.’
‘We will pursue you to the fullest extent of the law’
McIntyre was arrested, charged, and stood trial in May 2024 where he was found guilty of manslaughter. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison last July.
The investigation was led by Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Barr, of Northumbria Police’s Major Investigation Team, who fired a warning shot to anyone else who helps offenders evade justice.
He said: ‘Twizell knew about the assault and was deliberately trying to confound the investigation so McIntyre could evade arrest and key evidence in the case could be disposed of.
‘Of course, we were able to find and arrest McIntyre and piece together how Twizell helped him, and McIntyre is now serving a 14-year sentence for killing Andrew.
‘Please know, if you have helped an offender try to evade police or made attempts to hide or destroy evidence – you are as guilty of committing a crime as they are.
‘We will pursue you to the fullest extent of the law and you could also find yourself in front of the courts and looking at a prison sentence for your actions.’
