A woman who ran over her fiance after an argument has been jailed for life for his murder.

Alice Wood, 24, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years for the murder of 24-year-old Ryan Watson today.

The philosophy student ran over her fiance after she “lost her temper” following an argument after the couple had been at a birthday party in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, for a user of the Headway brain injury charity, where Mr Watson was a support worker.

The court heard the pair argued over who was driving home and Wood accused Mr Watson of flirting with a woman.

She had claimed he 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.

After sentencing, Detective Inspector Nigel Parr said 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 she refused to take accountability for her actions,” he added, “forcing Ryan’s family to sit through a trial and watch footage of his final moments.

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“Throughout the trial Wood proclaimed her innocence, but thankfully the jury saw through her lies, and she was found guilty of Ryan’s murder.

“While nothing is going to bring Ryan back, I hope the sentence handed to Wood will bring some sense of closure for his family, knowing that justice has been served.

“Our thoughts remain with Ryan’s family and friends at this time.”

Mr Watson’s family said that it had been “so hard” to repeatedly watch footage of the moment he was killed while trapped under the car.

In a statement, they added: “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.”

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