Instead of a future in the cloistered world of Cambridge academia, Alice Wood is to spend the next few decades in high-security women’s prisons, rubbing shoulders with notorious female inmates.
Before the murder, her life appeared settled. She and charity worker boyfriend Ryan Watson, 24, had set up home together with their four dogs, buying a modest house in the Cheshire village of Rode Heath for £120,000 in October 2021 with help from their parents.
Although from the same town of Cheadle, Staffordshire, neighbours said they had only got together in 2020, setting up home after a ‘whirlwind romance’.
Horrifically, everything changed on May 6, 2022, when a drunken Wood got behind the wheel of her Ford Fiesta and drove repeatedly at Mr Watson after a late-night row.
A source close to Wood’s family said: ‘She was a very intelligent girl, very clever, and she had a promising future. It’s a terrible waste of a talent but these things happen in life.
Instead of a future in the cloistered world of Cambridge academia, Alice Wood is to spend the next few decades in high-security women’s prisons, rubbing shoulders with notorious female inmates
Ryan Watson died when a drunken Wood got behind the wheel of her Ford Fiesta and drove repeatedly at him
Alice Wood arrives in handcuffs this morning ahead of her sentence for the murder of Ryan Watson
‘Everyone’s capable of having a temper, people can just snap. It’s just a tragedy to be honest, it really is, for her and Ryan.’
Before buying their home in Rode Heath, the couple both grew up in nearby Cheadle, a quiet town on the edge of the Staffordshire Moorlands, where it is understood they met.
The town is best known for the lavishly-decorated St Giles’s Church, designed by Houses of Parliament architect Augustus Pugin and funded by the Earl of Shrewsbury, who lived nearby at Alton Towers, site of the present-day theme park.
Wood – who has two brothers – had lived with both her mother Deborah Sproston, a doctor’s receptionist, and father Trevor Wood, a furniture maker, who are divorced.
Before she began her undergraduate degree, Wood had part-time jobs in a convenience store and as a waitress in a pub.
In recent years, she had managed to go travelling, with her Facebook account showing a picture of her posing with a small elephant in a jungle setting.
One Cheadle resident said: ‘She was quiet and studious. When she was older, she and her mother would go out to do the pub quiz together.
‘She seemed like she was destined for a good career – for her to be accused of murder is the last thing you’d expect to happen.’
Mr Watson, who worked for brain injury support charity Headway, was described by a Rode Heath resident as ‘kind-hearted and helpful’.
One woman who lives in the village – and witnessed the aftermath of the ‘horrific’ killing after Wood came knocking for help – said: ‘Our landlord knew Ryan and said he was a lovely lad.
‘Everybody thought the world of him. He was kind-hearted and helpful… a really lovely boy. That’s what is so heart breaking.’
But the woman, a shop assistant, revealed that when Wood banged on her door seeking help on the night of the murder, she was already trying to provide her justification for what happened.
Whereas the prosecution said she was angry at Mr Watson for giving attention to other women, she claimed the dispute was for opposite reasons.
The eyewitness recalled: ‘She told us she was upset because she wanted to go back to find her cell phone (and) he (Ryan) thought she was flirting with other men.
‘She never went back for her phone, so she didn’t have a phone on her.’
The resident said she let Wood borrow her phone to try to ring her mother but, in her panicked state, ‘couldn’t remember her mum’s phone number’.
Describing Wood’s demeanour, the woman added: ‘(Wood) was quite distressed, but she wasn’t crying.
‘She said: ‘Please phone for an ambulance. I’ve run over my boyfriend.’ I thought he would be lying by the side of the road in pain, so I went out.
‘He was completely underneath the vehicle, but his head was visible, and his foot was sticking out.
‘I tried to see if he was still conscious but there was no answer. It was quite horrific.
‘We called an ambulance, and they were here in 15 minutes. I was on the phone to them all that time.
‘I really feel for his family. We have two kids of our own… I’ve been trying to put it out of my mind.’
Alice Wood is seen leaving court in handcuffs after being sentenced to life in prison
One former friend described Wood as a ‘swot’ at school, who even had a tattoo of her exam results
In recent years, she had managed to go travelling, with her Facebook account showing a picture of her posing with a small elephant in a jungle setting
Bodyworn camera footage released by Cheshire Police shows Wood sobbing as she was arrested on suspicion of murder
Ryan Watson’s mother Lisa and stepfather Jonathan Plant speak outside court this afternoon
Another Rode Heath resident who went to help at the scene, said: ‘There were drag marks near the car. I’m still trying to figure out how it happened. I’ve never seen an incident like this.
‘The passenger door was open. The engine was cool. He was jammed under the car…
‘The girl didn’t want to see Ryan…the paramedics wanted her to go outside but she didn’t want to.
‘She was all over the place. We had to support her. She was traumatised but couldn’t walk, whether she was drunk or sober.
‘The police arrived shortly after and arrested her.’
One villager, who gave his name only as George, said: ‘We are horrified by the events.
‘The woman quite clearly ran over her boyfriend two or three times until he died.
‘It was planned, it was calculated and it was wicked. She deserves to spend the rest of her life in prison.’
A pensioner living close to Wood and Mr Watson said they had appeared the ‘perfect couple’.
She said: ‘We can’t believe it ended so tragically for them both – one dead and the other facing a life time in prison.
‘What a waste of two young lives.’
The resident told how the couple had moved into a tiny terrace in October 2021 after a whirlwind romance.
They had met in March 2020 and got engaged six months later.
The neighbour said: ‘They seemed such nice people, they were very quiet and never caused any trouble.
‘We never heard any rows, or bickering, or any loud parties. They seemed very much in love and a perfect pair.
‘The girl Alice was a philosophy student and by all accounts was super bright and he held down a good job.
‘They had a future together and everything to live for which makes what happened even more tragic.
‘They were a delightful couple and seemed very content together.
‘The fact this poor man died right on our doorsteps still haunts us. It has shocked and saddened the whole community.’
Ryan Watson (pictured) was dragged more than 500ft along the road underneath his fiancé’s car
The pair had been enjoying each other’s company at the party before she grew jealous at him receiving attention from another woman
During her three-week trial at Chester Crown Court in December, Wood appeared smartly-dressed but with tattoos of various symbols visible including Roman numerals on her hands and wrists.
She retained her studious demeanour, reading literature including Meditations, by Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius – a leading Stoic philosopher. On other days, she brought what appeared to be academic textbooks into the dock.
One former friend described her as a ‘swot’ at school, who even had a tattoo of her exam results. Although she studied her undergraduate degree at Manchester University, the friend also revealed she had applied to study at Oxford.
The friend told The Mirror: ‘Speaking to everyone who knew her the general consensus is this is unexpected. She was really smart, like effortlessly so. In the first year of secondary she was selected for the gifted and talented group, got three A-stars at A-level and was one of only a few pupils in the school’s history to get to the final selection stage for Oxford.’
In a statement, Ryan Watson’s family – including mother Lisa Watson, an office clerk, stepfather Jonathan Plant, and his younger brother Owen – said that while they had ‘finally got justice for our beloved son, no sentence would be too long’ for Wood.
The 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 working for the charity Headway and helping other people, which is what he loved to do.
‘Ryan had such a big personality; he was a bubbly, fun-loving, caring person with a heart of his gold who would do anything for anyone. Ryan loved animals and his dogs. Ryan was always good at sports like football, BMX biking and pool. He loved hanging out with his mates and playing his music.
‘He will be forever missed. All his family and friends are heartbroken to know we never get to see him again. Words cannot express how devastated and lost we are without Ryan. He touched the hearts and enriched the lives of everyone who knew him. We only had 24 years together, but we are proud to say he was our son and a fantastic big brother.
‘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.
‘We saw the CCTV footage at the party that night. We are so proud to see him being such a gentleman to everyone, even helping an old lady who had fallen over. He was the life and soul of the party that night.
‘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.
‘We would like to say thank you to all the emergency services and people at the scene that helped Ryan.’
Sandra Watson, grandmother of Ryan, speaks outside court this afternoon
Following the verdict, Detective Inspector Nigel Parr, of Cheshire Police, said: ‘While no conviction is going to bring Ryan back, I hope it will bring some sense of closure for his family, knowing that justice has been served.
‘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.
‘Our thoughts remain with Ryan’s family and friends as they continue to deal with the devastating events that took place.’