A theology and ethics student has been found guilty of murdering her fiancé by deliberately mowing him down in her car after they rowed when she accused him of flirting with another woman at a party.
Alice Wood, 23, used her Ford Fiesta as a weapon when she rammed into Ryan Watson near the couple's home in Cheshire in May last year.
Mr Watson, 24, was dragged under the car for more than 150 meters and died as a result of his injuries.
Earlier that evening, the couple had attended a birthday party for one of Mr Watson's charity worker colleagues, where they were rowing when he was spotted dancing and chatting to other women.
After she left the event, the argument continued and Wood - who was almost twice over the legal drink-driving limit - lost her temper and launched an attack on him, using her car as a weapon.
Wood, who was in the final year of her studies in theology, philosophy and ethics and had a scholarship for a part-time research master's degree at Cambridge, had claimed Watson's death was a tragic accident, but the jury convicted her of murder after a killing. Three week trial at Chester Crown Court.
Jurors were told that friction had arisen between the couple on the night in question after Mr Watson "hit it off" with a female guest at the party.
Other attendees described him enjoying himself, while Wood felt "a bit cold" and stared at him.
After they returned from the party in Mr Watson's car, Wood got into her Fiesta and witnesses described her playing "a game of chicken" with Mr Watson by driving the car forwards and backwards towards him.
CCTV footage played to the jury showed Wood's Fiesta veering onto the pavement and hitting Mr Watson, sending him flying into the bonnet.
He managed to get to his feet, but seconds later he was hit a second time, causing him to fall under the front bumper of the car.
In the footage, Mr Watson was heard screaming as he became trapped under the chassis of the Fiesta, while Wood drove for 158 meters before coming to a stop further down the road.
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After the collision, a 'hysterical' Wood knocked on a neighbour's door and told her: 'Please call an ambulance, I think I've run over my friend.'
As they went to the Fiesta, where there was a pool of blood on the road and Mr Watson's legs sticking out from under the vehicle, Wood said: "Look what I've done."
Wood also told police and paramedics that she had run over Mr Watson, who died from asphyxiation injuries, but said he had "jumped in front of her car".
In evidence, she claimed Mr Watson had "turned" after he accused her of "flirting" with other men at the party.
She told the jury he had called her a "slug" and a "whore" and that she had embarrassed him in front of other partygoers.
Wood claimed that she wanted to get away from Mr Watson and stay with her mother that evening to defuse the argument, but that she could not find her phone to arrange a lift from her father and that Mr Watson had refused to give her his mobile phone loan.
She alleged that Watson had also threatened to have her mother killed and that she had initially only driven up to him to "scare" and "intimidate" him.
Wood denied that he deliberately and deliberately drove towards him and intended to harm him, saying that seeing him under the car was like having "stepped into a nightmare".
But Andrew Ford KC, prosecuting, said Wood killed Mr Watson by "deliberately running him over" and it was not a tragic accident as she claimed.
He said Wood had "lost her cool" while she was arguing with him and "used her car as a weapon."
Mr Ford suggested that she had decided to turn events around by claiming that Mr Watson had accused her of flirting and that was the reason they went rowing, when the "truth" was the other way around and she had become unhappy with his behavior in the workplace. the party.
'A whole life for him'
David Jones, senior prosecutor at CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: "This was a tragic loss of life for a young man with his whole life ahead of him.
"Under the influence of alcohol, it was clear that Alice Wood's jealousy was sufficient ammunition to brutally murder her partner.
"While it will never make up for their devastating loss, I hope today's sentencing provides Ryan's family with some comfort knowing that his killer has been brought to justice."
Det Insp Nigel Parr of Cheshire Police said: "While no conviction will bring Ryan back, I hope it will give his family a sense of closure, knowing justice has been served.
"The night Ryan died, Wood used her vehicle as a weapon while under the influence of alcohol, deliberately driving towards him and even continuing to drive after knocking him down.
"She knew what she had done but has since refused to take responsibility for her actions.
"Thankfully, as a result of our investigation and the evidence against her, she has been found guilty of Ryan's murder.
"Our thoughts remain with Ryan's family and friends as they continue to cope with the devastating events that have occurred."
'Heartbroken'
In a statement released after the verdict, Ryan's family said: "Ryan's death has left our family heartbroken. He was taken from us far too soon, he was just a young man, 24 years old, with his whole life ahead of him.
"He had just started his career with the charity Headway and helping other people, which he enjoyed doing.
"Ryan had such a big personality; he was a bubbly, cheerful, caring person with a heart of gold who would do anything for anyone.
The statement added: "He will be missed forever. All his family and friends are heartbroken because they know we will never see him again. Words cannot express how devastated and lost we are without Ryan. He touched the hearts and enriched the lives of all who knew him. We were only together for 24 years, but we are proud to say he was our son and a wonderful big brother.
"We are grateful to have gotten justice for Ryan today. It was so hard to watch the CCTV footage of our son being hit over and over again by her car and then dragged onto the road, still trapped under her car.
'I can't imagine how scared Ryan must have been at that moment. The one person Ryan trusted most is the person who took his own life in such a violent manner. I'm living a nightmare knowing my son's last moments were so cruel.
'Alice is in prison where she belongs. But no punishment will be long enough for what she took from us and Ryan. He will never be able to live his life and achieve his dreams."
