Student on trial for murdering fiancé with car sobs recalling her 'nightmare'
A student accused of murdering her fiancé by driving over his body in a Ford Fiesta, burst into tears in court when she told of the moment she realised he was under her car.
Alice Wood, 23, who studies philosophy, is currently on trial at Cheshire Crown Court for allegedly using her car 'as a weapon' after she ran over Ryan Watson, 24, near their home in Rode Heath, Cheshire. The court has heard she drove 158 metres with Ryan underneath the car.
The pair had attended a party on May 6, 2022, for a brain injury charity in Headway, where Ryan worked. However, after leaving the do, Ryan allegedly accused Wood of being overly flirtatious with other party-goers.
Wood drove her and her partner home despite having consumed a quantity of alcohol that placed her over the legal limit, the court heard. She claims the moment they set foot in the vehicle, his attitude 'flipped', telling the court: "Straight away he was accusing me of flirting with other men at the party, and he started calling me a sl*g, saying I'd embarrassed him and shown him up in front of everyone."
Alice Wood is accused of murder (Facebook)Wood told the court that after arriving home she wanted to call her father to collect but realised she had lost her phone. She also said that Ryan did not let her use his phone. She told the jury that Ryan then "erupted" grabbing her hair extensions and holding her head over the oven hob, while threatening to flip the switch, shouting: "Ask me one more f****** time."
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A frightened Wood says she then exited the house and entered her car, while he stood outside. She told the jury: "I'd said for a final time 'Ryan, just go inside, just go to bed, and I'll be back in the morning, I'm going to go to my mum's', and after that, he said 'your mum's f****** dead'." Breaking down in tears, she stated that he made a threat to send someone to have her mother "knifed up".
Attempting to leave the situation, she reversed out of the car park, colliding with Ryan's car, a bin, and a bollard. Then, in a bid to "scare" her partner, she decided to "swerve" her car towards him, before stopping at the last second, the court heard.
She told the court: "He'd scared me, and I know that doesn't make it excusable, but in my head, at that time I just felt so frightened, and I wanted him to feel like I did." However, rather than pulling short in the knick of time, she crashed right into him.
She recalled being rendered 'shocked' as Watson hit the windscreen. However, he managed to get back to his feet. At this point, she fled the scene. Subsequently, she drove down the road before stopping due to her vehicle's lack of acceleration. Wood claims she hopped out of the car and only at this point realised he'd been under the tires the entire time. She cried: 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."
Wood takes full responsibility for Ryan's death; however, denies doing so on purpose. In the aftermath of the traumatic event, she has sought out professional medical help, telling the court that she's "heartbroken." The pair started their relationship in March 2020, falling in love and getting engaged in September 2020, before buying a house in the October of the following year.
When the incident occurred, Wood had been preparing for the final exams of her theology, philosophy, and ethics degree. The academic had even been awarded a scholarship for a research master's. Wood denies committing murder and an alternative count of manslaughter.
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