Callous woman's shocking words to man she ran over and killed

A woman who was known to regularly drive the wrong way down a one-way street was doing exactly that when she hit and killed a vulnerable man, a court has heard.

Megan Murphy, 26, had failed to properly clear ice from her windscreen before driving the wrong way near her former home in Marsh Green, Wigan, during the early hours of January 9 last year.

Darryl Tomlinson, 31, who lived nearby, had collapsed in the road after spending the evening drinking with friends. Murphy drove over him, reversed back over him, and then drove over him again.

After the collision, Murphy was heard saying: “I didn’t see him.” She later told a friend she had “reversed over him”. The court was also told she used a derogatory drug-related insult about Mr Tomlinson while he was still underneath her car.

Neighbours had already called 999 after seeing Mr Tomlinson in the road. However, in what was described in court as an “awful twist of fate”, police and paramedics were unable to locate him and did not attend the correct scene. Mr Tomlinson died in the street.

Murphy, now of Lord Street, Ince, appeared at Bolton Crown Court on Tuesday, June 23, after previously admitting causing death by dangerous driving. She is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 24.

Prosecutor Rob Hall told the court that at the time of the incident, Murphy lived on Kitt Green Road in Marsh Green.

The court heard she had a habit of reversing out of an access lane before driving the wrong way along Pembroke Road, a one-way street, and then turning onto Kitt Green Lane.

Neighbours had reportedly seen her carry out the same manoeuvre repeatedly over the course of around a year.

Mr Hall said it appeared Murphy had ignored the rules of the road in order to save time and avoid driving around the estate.

The night before the incident, Mr Tomlinson had been at a friend’s home drinking and watching football. He later left with a friend, went to another flat, and then took a taxi to a petrol station to buy more alcohol.

He returned to the flat on Kitt Green Road, which was close to his own home on Comet Road, where the drinking continued.

The court heard a Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice had been in place from 3am on January 9.

Mr Tomlinson, who was said to have been drunk and likely to have taken cocaine and cannabis, later left his friend’s flat. The court was told his friends believed he could make the short walk home, which was around 500 metres.

CCTV footage showed Mr Tomlinson stumbling before falling outside a house on Pembroke Road at around 3.19am. He was lying relatively centrally in the road and was wearing dark clothing, including a black jacket with a fluffy hood and black trousers.

He made two calls to friends, including one voicemail asking for help. One friend said he sounded very drunk, was slurring his words and did not know where he was. Mr Tomlinson asked for a taxi to be called, but his friend was unable to do so because he did not know his location.

At around 4.40am, a neighbour went outside to de-ice his car and saw Mr Tomlinson in the road. He was described as incoherent and unresponsive. The neighbour’s partner called for an ambulance at 5.05am.

The court heard that North West Ambulance Service informed Greater Manchester Police, but both agencies went to the wrong address and were unable to find Mr Tomlinson. A separate investigation into the emergency service response is ongoing.

Mr Hall said it appeared the address had not been recorded properly, which meant the wrong location was passed on.

A taxi was later used to block the south end of the road before Murphy came out of her home.

CCTV showed Murphy trying to clear her windscreen for only a few seconds at around 5.44am. Mr Hall described her efforts as “woefully inadequate”.

He said that when she reversed, she had almost no clear visibility from the driver’s seat.

At 5.48am, Murphy drove onto Pembroke Road in her Citroen DS3. Her headlights lit up Mr Tomlinson, who was still lying in the road.

The court was told she drove forward, stopped briefly in front of him, then drove over him. She then reversed over his body before driving forward over him again.

People nearby were waving their arms and shouting, while a taxi driver was sounding his horn. During a 999 call, Murphy could be heard saying: “I didn’t see him.”

Mr Hall told the court Murphy then lied in an attempt to avoid responsibility for what had happened. He said that during the 999 call, she claimed she had been leaving to drive the correct way on Pembroke Road.

Three minutes after the collision, Murphy walked away and phoned a friend. During that call, she claimed she had reversed over Mr Tomlinson, which prosecutors said was not accurate, and used an insulting term about him.

Her friend told her to make sure she had properly defrosted the windscreen or she would be in trouble, because Mr Tomlinson had already been on the floor.

Murphy was later seen trying to clear her windscreen properly. However, a forensics officer found that visibility was still poor even after her further attempts.

Mr Tomlinson was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem examination found he had suffered multiple bruises and abrasions.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Tomlinson’s mother, Michelle, said her son would do anything for anyone and had loved football from a young age.

She said losing Darryl had changed the family’s lives forever and described it as the worst day of her life.

She said she believed that if Murphy had seen him, or if the ambulance service had responded properly, her son would still be alive.

Mr Tomlinson’s father, Paul, known as Tommy, said he has suffered sleepless nights thinking about what his son went through.

He said he holds the ambulance service responsible for not finding Darryl, but also holds Murphy responsible for taking his life.

He described Darryl not only as his son, but also as his work colleague and friend, adding that losing him felt like losing half of himself.

Darryl’s brother, Lee, said Darryl had been his best friend, idol and biggest support.

He said the loss had taken a piece of him and criticised Murphy’s behaviour after the incident.

The case was adjourned until Wednesday, June 24, when Murphy’s barrister, John Dove, is expected to present mitigation before she is sentenced by Judge Nicholas Clarke KC.

North West Ambulance Service said it was sorry for mistakes made in the handling of the 999 calls relating to Darryl.

A spokesperson said the service deeply regretted the failings in its response and had been open with Darryl’s family. They added that the service was committed to taking action to reduce the risk of something similar happening again.