Student jailed for life for murder of fiancé after running him over in Cheshire

Video report by Correspondent Andy Bonner

A student who drove at her fiancé before dragging him along a road has been jailed for a minimum of 18 years for his murder.

Alice Wood, 24, claimed her partner Ryan Watson died in a “tragic accident” when he was hit by the Ford Fiesta she was driving near their home in Rode Heath, Cheshire, at about 11.30pm on 6 May 2022.

But she was found guilty of murder at Chester Crown Court in January, where she was sentenced to life on Friday 2 February.

Warning - some viewers may find the CCTV footage distressing

The three-week trial heard the couple had spent the evening at a party in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, with staff and service users of the brain injury charity Headway, where Mr Watson was a support worker.

The court heard that Mr Watson had "clicked" with another woman at the party, angering Wood.

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 that 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.

She told the court she went out to her car to leave but Mr Watson followed.

During his opening address, Mr Ford said "she lost her temper" and "used the car as a weapon".

The jury was told Mr Watson was trapped underneath the car as Wood drove 158 metres up Sandbach Road before stopping.

She told a nearby resident; ‘please phone an ambulance, I think I’ve run over my boyfriend’.

Emergency services responded and paramedics pronounced Mr Watson dead at the scene.

Officers attended and spoke to Wood, subsequently arresting her due to the disclosures she had made.

She also failed a roadside breath test and was found to have 61 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, over the legal limit of 35. Upon arrest she told officers; "it’s fine, I deserve it".

Woods was arrested on suspicion of murder and interviewed by the police. Though she made no comment in the interviews, she admitted guilt on multiple occasions.

She told her GP her boyfriend had died the previous week, having jumped in front of her car, and on the way to the police station admitted 'I deserve it.'

These admissions of guilt, along with the extensive CCTV footage meant the evidence stacked up against Woods, and the jury ruled that she was guilty of murder.

David Jones, Senior Crown Prosecutor in 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."

“Though it will never make up for their devastating loss, I hope today’s conviction brings Ryan’s family some solace, knowing his murderer has been brought to justice."

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