Shocking footage captures moment student, 23, drives at fiance repeatedly before killing him after losing temper

2 January 2024, 13:29 | Updated: 2 January 2024, 14:39

A 23-year-old woman has been found guilty of murdering her fiancé in Rode Heath

By Will Taylor

Shocking footage shows the moment a student repeatedly deliberately drove her car at her fiance, killing him in a game of "chicken" after losing her temper.

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Alice Wood, 23, has been found guilty of murdering Ryan Watson after a party in May 2022.

She was driving them both to their home in Rode Heath, Cheshire, in Ryan's Fiat Punto. Both had been drinking.

CCTV shows them both get out before Wood goes into her Ford Fiesta and reverses it at Ryan, missing him narrowly, then driving at him a second time and hitting him with the bonnet.

Witnesses later described the attack as appearing like a game of "chicken".

She drove at the 24-year-old a third time, going over him in the Fiesta.

CCTV shows the moment Wood drove at her fiance
CCTV shows the moment Wood drove at her fiance. Picture: Cheshire Police

He was still under the car as she drove 160 metres down a road. She then got out and told a nearby resident to phone an ambulance because "I think I've run over my boyfriend".

Footage also released by Cheshire Police shows police arrest Wood, who failed a breath test.

Read more: Student, 23, found guilty of murder after 'losing her temper' and running over fiancé

Though she refused to answer questions initially, she was arrested and charged with murder later when new evidence emerged.

Bodycam video shows her clasp her arms together around her head as an officer explains she is being detained.

The University of Manchester student gasps and stands up to be handcuffed as she appears to fight back tears.

And in harrowing clips, the couple can be seen dancing together at a party before walking to Ryan's car to drive home.

Wood has been convicted of murder
Wood has been convicted of murder. Picture: Cheshire Police
Ryan was killed when Wood drove at her repeatedly
Ryan was killed when Wood drove at her repeatedly. Picture: Cheshire Police

Cheshire Police's Detective Inspector Nigel Parr 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."

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Ryan's family said in a statement: "We are grateful today we got justice for Ryan. It's been so hard to watch the CCTV footage of our son getting hit by her car over and over again, then dragged up the road still being trapped under her car.

"I can't imagine how scared Ryan must have been at that moment. The one person Ryan trusted the most is the person who took his life in such a violent way.

"I am living in a nightmare knowing my son's last moments were so brutal."

Wood, who was convicted at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, will be sentenced on January 29.