Alice Wood sentenced to minimum of 18 years in jail for murder of fiancé Ryan Watson after running him over

A woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment after she was convicted of the murder of her fiancé.

Alice Wood, 23, was convicted of the murder of Ryan Watson, 24, following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court. She has now been handed the life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years.

Wood, a student who had a scholarship for a part-time research masters at Cambridge, ran Mr Watson over with her Ford Fiesta near their home in Rode Heath, Cheshire on May 6, 2022. The couple had spent the evening at a party in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent alongside staff and service users from the brain charity which Mr Watson worked for.

The court heard that Mr Watson was seen by party guests "having a good time" and being an "outgoing" guest while Wood was described as being "a bit cold". Tiffany Ferriday, who was a guest at the party, testified that she and Mr Watson spoke during the party and "clicked", while Wood was "pretty much left out" of the conversation.

Wood told the court that she drove her fiancé home despite being over the drink-drive limit before he "flipped" out on her and accused her of flirting with other men. She then said that the argument continued when they returned home to the house they owned together on Oak Street. Wood said that she left the house during the argument, getting into her car with the intention of leaving, but was followed by Mr Watson.

Andrew Ford KC, prosecuting, told the court that Wood "lost her temper" and "used her car as a weapon". She ran down Mr Watson, dragging him for 158 metres while he was trapped under the car.

Judge Michael Leeming told Wood during her sentencing: “Prison may be hard for you Alice Wood but you only have yourself to blame for the situation you now find yourself in.”