Woolton man whose booze-fuelled ‘bromance’ led to homicide at household occasion jailed
Stephen Bates has been jailed for life for the murder of Martin O’Donovan, the brother of his girlfriend, who he ran over with his car on the night they first met at a 70th birthday party
A man who mowed down and killed his girlfriend’s brother on the very night they first crossed paths has been sentenced to life behind bars. Martin O’Donovan, 47, died after being struck by Stephen Bates’ Ford Fiesta outside his sister’s house on Stonyhurst Road in Woolton, following his mum’s 70th birthday celebrations.
Despite the pair reportedly getting along brilliantly at first, things took a violent turn during a booze-fuelled brawl when the 42-year-old stubbornly insisted on getting behind the wheel, having knocked back a dangerous mix of Jagerbombs, Stella Artois, Red Bull and vodka.
He then made threats that he would “pay someone to come and get” Mr O’Donovan before returning to the scene in his car and “deliberately driving straight at him”. Mr O’Donovan became pinned under the car’s undercarriage, with relatives forced to band together to hoist the vehicle up and rescue him, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Tragically, he later passed away in hospital after sustaining severe head trauma from the collision. Bates, of Herondale Road in Mossley Hill, meanwhile went on to tell the officers who arrested him “I know what I’ve done, I’ve f***** up”.
Earlier this month, following a trial, he was convicted of Mr O’Donovan’s murder. Returning to Liverpool Crown Court for his sentencing this morning, (November 28) he stood with his head bowed and displayed no emotion as he was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years in prison.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: “Martin O’Donovan…died on what should have been a day of celebration, to mark his mother’s 70th birthday. Instead, the day ended in tragedy, with guests at the party being devastated by the violent death of a man who they loved dearly.
“To his mother, he was a man with a beautiful soul who made impact on everyone he met. His father’s life has been destroyed by the loss of his best friend. His brother describes him as a loyal and devoted friend, a man whose energy and warmth touched many lives. He was an accomplished avionics engineer, a skilled outdoorsman and an exemplary human being.
“His sisters have lost their protector, a man who they regarded as loving, strong and fiercely loyal. Susanne [Lewzey, Bates’ girlfriend]’s grief has been made even worse by the knowledge that the man who killed her beloved brother was a man who she trusted and never thought would do anything to harm her or her family.
“You were invited to that party. Also present was Martin O’Donovan, who, at the time, was living in Birmingham. You had not previously met Martin O’Donovan, but you got on well. There we no indication of the violence that was to erupt later that evening.
“Although you decided to go home, you initially insisted on driving yourself, despite the fact you were clearly unfit to do so. When Susanne Lewzey tried to stop you from getting into your car, you became abusive towards her. Rather than continuing to engage with you, she went inside the house and asked her brother to see if he could stop you driving home.
“As a result of something one of you said to the other, a fight broke out between you and Martin O’Donovan. Although I cannot be sure you started that fight, there is no doubt it was your nasty and drunken behaviour that caused it to happen.
“Eventually, you agreed to let Natalie O’Donovan [another of Martin’s sisters] to drive you home in your car. Following the fight, and during the journey home, you were abusive towards Susanne Lewzey’s family and repeatedly threatened to kill Martin O’Donovan or arrange for someone else to kill him. I cannot be sure that you meant those threats to be taken seriously, but they indicate your state of mind and continued animosity to Martin O’Donovan.
“You drove off and returned to Stonyhurst Road. By that time, Martin O’Donovan was sitting on the low wall outside, having a drink and perhaps a cigarette. You drove quickly along Stonyhurst Road. You then quite deliberately drove onto the pavement and ran over Martin O’Donovan, trapping him under your car.
“That was no accident. It was a determined act of aggression, directed towards someone who had done nothing to provoke you to act in that way. Martin O’Donovan suffered extensive injuries to his skull and extensive chest and abdominal injuries. As a result of your actions, Martin O’Donovan died on the 19th of April.”
In the aftermath of the incident, Bates reportedly exited his car and exclaimed “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, what have I done?”. Shortly after 11.45pm, he placed a 999 call in which he stated: “I’ve just run someone over on Stonyhurst Road. I think they’re dead.
“They’re not moving. They’re not breathing. We had an argument, and I’ve run him over. You need to send someone quick. I’ve done the crime. I don’t know what we were arguing over, but it’s my girlfriend’s brother.”
Officers who arrived at the scene observed that Bates was “extremely intoxicated”, whilst he told police “I know mate, I’m not going anywhere” as he was placed in handcuffs. After being informed he would need to take a breathalyser test, he added: “I know what I’ve done. I know what I’ve done is wrong. I’ve f***** up.”
Giving his testimony, Bates told the court that he had returned to the location to “try to sort our relationship out” and said he was planning to “park up outside, where I always park it”. He went on to recall: “I’ve come in and I’ve hit something, which was the wall. Then, I’ve tried to correct the steering and turned in the opposite direction.”
When asked whether he had spotted Mr O’Donovan before striking him with his vehicle, he answered “no”. He likewise rejected having meant to hit the victim with his car, stating: “I was coming in to park. I tried to correct the car. It’s just a natural reaction. It come to a stop, the car. I tried to move it, and the car was just revving.
“I didn’t know what was going on. I think [Ms Lewzey] was saying, ‘you ran him over’. I can’t really remember. She was screaming and banging on the window, then she opened the door. I didn’t know what I did really.”
Bates seemed to become emotional when asked about the moment he realised he had hit Mr O’Donovan, responding: “When I got out the car and I saw his legs under the car. Just total shock. I didn’t know what I’d done. I couldn’t believe it.”
During cross-examination, Mr Benson suggested that Bates had been overcome by a “red mist had descended on him”. However, Bates refuted this, stating “there was no red mist to descend”, and later added: “I just wanted to sort things out between me and Susanne. I wanted to sort things out with my girlfriend.”
Andrew Haslam KC, defending, stated on behalf of Bates today: “He has always accepted that he caused the deceased’s death by his unlawful act. He has to live with the knowledge that, even on his own admission, he caused the loss, the death of a father, of a son, of a brother and a much loved friend to many people, it would seem.”
He said he had sought to improve his life by studying for a degree, graduating with a 2:1 and working to support himself and his wife until he finished his studies, and thereafter gaining full time employment.
“People describe him as being both kind and considerate and, plainly, a man committed, in the past, to his family, particularly to both his nieces, a loyal brother and a loyal uncle, one, but for this tragedy, who did seem to have a positive future ahead of him.
“He has taken steps to advance his position whilst in prison. He has applied to become a mentor to help those who have suffered mental health issues as he, the defendant, has in the past. Whilst we acknowledge that those matters of personal mitigation are of limited relevance to a case of this nature, they do perhaps paint a picture of a very different man to the one that the jury convicted of the most serious crime of them all.”
