Student who 'lost temper' and ran over fiance in Cheshire guilty of his murder

A philosophy student who “lost her temper” and ran over her fiance has been found guilty of his murder.

Alice Wood, 23, used her Ford Fiesta as a weapon when she hit partner Ryan Watson, 24, near the home they shared in Rode Heath, Cheshire, at about 11.30pm on 6 May 2023.

Wood repeatedly drove her car at Mr Watson in what witnesses described as a game of "chicken" after she lost her temper.

Wood denied murder and an alternative count of manslaughter as she claimed her boyfriend’s death was a “tragic accident”.

She told her trial at Chester Crown Court she did not realise he was trapped underneath her car when she drove 158 metres up Sandbach Road before stopping.

CCTV of the moment the 24-year-old was hit was played in court, showing the car reverse, hitting Mr Watson’s car, a bin and a bollard.

The Fiesta could then be seen reversing into Sandbach Road as Mr Watson walked away, before swerving off the road towards him, appearing to knock him on to the bonnet.

Alice Wood, 23, drove her car into her partner Ryan Watson near the home they shared in Cheshire.ITV Granada Reports journalist Jennifer Buck's report includes images that some viewers may find upsetting.

Wood showed no emotion as the jury returned its unanimous verdict after less than eight hours of deliberation.

Judge Michael Leeming further remanded her in custody and told her she “may never be released”.

He said: “You have been convicted of the murder of Ryan Watson. There is only one sentence that the law allows and that is life imprisonment.

“I am required to consider the minimum term you must serve in custody before the Parole Board deems it safe for you to be released.

“You may never be released. It is a matter entirely for the Parole Board.”

Wood stared downwards as she left the dock.

The court heard Wood “lost her temper” in an argument after the couple had been at a party, where they had both been drinking, in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

Wood drove Mr Watson's Fiat Punto, home, but after both getting out, at around 11.20pm, she was seen on CCTV getting into her own car, a Ford Fiesta, and reversing it out of its space while her boyfriend is seen walking around in the vicinity.

Neighbours then reported hearing shouting, doors slamming, and a car engine revving, before CCTV shows the Fiesta reversing towards Mr Watson, almost hitting him.

Wood drove towards Mr Watson a second time, onto Sandbach Road, knocking him onto the bonnet.

Footage showed Ryan walking away from the collision but Wood deliberately drove at him a third time, hitting him and sending him under the car.

After being arrested at the scene, Wood failed a roadside breath test, registering almost twice the legal limit with 61 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, with the legal limit at 35.

On arrest she told officers, "it’s fine, I deserve it".

Warning - some viewers may find the CCTV footage distressing

The three-week trial heard the couple, who began a relationship in March 2020 and became engaged six months later, had spent the evening at the party with staff and service users of the brain injury charity Headway, where Mr Watson was a support worker.

Andrew Ford KC, prosecuting, said Mr Watson was seen on CCTV footage “having a good time, being a gregarious and outgoing party guest”, while Wood was described by one woman attending as “a bit cold”.

Fellow party guest Tiffany Ferriday told the court she and Mr Watson had “clicked” and Wood was “pretty much left out” of conversation.

But Wood told the court when she drove Mr Watson home from the party in his car, despite knowing she was over the drink drive limit, he “flipped” and accused her of flirting with other men.

The student described an argument which continued when they returned to the house they owned in Oak Street and led to Mr Watson grabbing her by her hair extensions and holding her head over the oven hob.

She said she went out to her car to leave but Mr Watson followed and they continued to argue as he stood outside the car.

During the opening of the case Mr Ford KC told the jury: “She drove straight into Ryan Watson for the second time, head on.

“This time he did not go over the bonnet – she knocked him clean over, under the vehicle’s front end.”

In tears during much of her evidence, Wood said she stopped the car and got out after travelling a short distance down the road because she felt it was not accelerating properly.

She said: “It was like stepping into a nightmare because I could see Ryan underneath the car.

“It was like I was in hell. It didn’t seem real.”

The court was told she then knocked on the door of a nearby house and told residents: “Please phone an ambulance. I think I’ve ran over my boyfriend.”

• Watch the moment a witness tells officers what happened, before Alice Wood is arrested

In a statement, Mr Watson’s family said it had been “so hard” to repeatedly watch the CCTV footage shown in court of the moment he was killed while trapped under the car.

They said: “The one person Ryan trusted the most is the person who took his life in such a violent way.

“Alice is in prison where she belongs but no sentence is going to be long enough for what she has taken from us and Ryan. He’ll never get to live his life and fulfil his dreams.”

Detective Inspector Nigel Parr, of Cheshire Constabulary, said: “The night Ryan died, Wood used her vehicle as a weapon while under the influence of alcohol – deliberately driving at him and even continuing to drive after knocking him down.

“She knew what she had done but since then has refused to take accountability for her actions.

“Thankfully, as a result of our investigation and the evidence against her, she has been found guilty of Ryan’s murder.”

David Jones, senior crown prosecutor at CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “This was a tragic loss of life of a young man with his whole life ahead of him.

“Under the influence of alcohol, it was clear that Alice Wood’s jealousy was ammunition enough for her to brutally kill her partner.”