Woman convicted of murdering her partner by running him over in Cheshire
Alice Wood has been found guilty at Chester Crown Court
Last updated 1st Feb 2024
A Cheshire woman has been found guilty of murdering her own partner by running him over.
Alice Wood killed her partner, Ryan Watson, who was 24 years old, by deliberately running him over outside their home in Rode Heath, Cheshire last year
On 6 May 2023, Alice Wood and Ryan Watson attended a birthday party, where tension between the pair was noticed.
CCTV footage from both the car park at the venue in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, and from a restaurant situated on the road of their house, tracked the couple leaving the party and driving home with Wood driving.
Upon arriving back at their shared home, the pair had an argument, after which Watson is seen exiting the vehicle and kicking a nearby car in frustration.
The footage then captured Wood reversing her car into Watson, who was crossing the road. She went on to hit him several times.
When paramedics arrived at the scene, they pronounced Watson dead, crush asphyxiation later being found as the cause of death. Wood was breathalysed and found to be well above the legal driving limit.
Wood 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.’
Wood showed no emotion as the jury returned its unanimous verdict after less than eight hours of deliberation.
Judge Michael Leeming told her she "may never be released":
"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.
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.
“She is now a convicted murderer and Ryan Watson is dead – at her hands."
Wood will be sentenced later on 29 January 2024.