A killer motorist who repeatedly ran over a vulnerable man lying in the road has been imprisoned for six years.
Personal trainer and CrossFit athlete Megan Murphy, 26, spent just seconds attempting to clear her windscreen in the early hours of January 9 last year before travelling the wrong way down a one-way street near her previous home in Marsh Green, Wigan.
Darryl Tomlinson, 31, who resided around the corner from Murphy, had fallen in the centre of the road after an evening out drinking with mates. Murphy drove over him, reversed and ran over him once more. Straight afterwards, she deceived police and claimed ‘I didn’t see him’, before telling a mate she had just ‘reversed over him’.
A court heard she branded Mr Tomlinson a ‘smackhead’ while he remained trapped beneath her vehicle, reports the Manchester Evening News. Neighbours had previously dialled 999 after spotting Mr Tomlinson but ‘in an awful twist of fate’, neither officers nor paramedics ‘could locate the patient and never attended the scene’. He perished in the street.
Murphy, now of Lord Street, Ince, was today (June 24) imprisoned for six years after previously admitting causing death by dangerous driving. Sentencing her, the Recorder of Bolton, Judge Nicholas Clarke KC told her: “CCTV footage records you for three seconds attempting to defrost your windscreen. This was hopelessly inadequate. The other windows remained opaque and the windscreen was still completely covered with thick ice. You were driving blind.
“That is in and of itself – dangerous. You deliberately chose to drive when you could not see properly. You deliberately drove the wrong way down a one-way street.”
Defending Murphy, John Dove, said she had previously maintained good character and possessed a clean driving record at the time. “Quite frankly she is devastated to find herself in this situation, particularly in such life changing circumstances. To say she is a broken woman is an understatement,” he said.
He said Murphy was travelling slowly, and initially stopped in front of Mr Tomlinson as she believed that something had either fallen from the building site next to the road or that she had potentially hit a kerb.
Mr Dove said: “At this point, in a state of panic, she continued to drive her vehicle forwards. In a state of panic there were two further manoeuvres. When she initially opened the door, she looked down and she noticed fur beneath her. She thought she had come into contact with an animal before she discovered she came into contact with Mr Tomlinson. She accepts all of those actions were wrong.”
He added: “She also made a comment about the demeanour of Mr Tomlinson. Miss Murphy regrets making that comment and she wishes to apologise for that comment made while in a highly stressed state.”
Mr Dove portrayed her as a ‘hard working and industrious individual’, revealing that she had served in the army as a chef – with the Royal Artillery stationed in North Yorkshire – for six years after finishing school. Following her discharge, she had subsequently pursued a career as a CrossFit athlete and a personal trainer.
Murphy ‘disregarded the highway code’ before striking Darryl. Yesterday, prosecutor Rob Hall stated that at the time of the incident, Murphy resided on Kitt Green Road, Marsh Green. She had developed a ‘pattern’ of reversing out of an access lane before travelling the wrong way down one-way Pembroke Road and turning onto Kitt Green Lane.
“It would appear she disregarded the highway code to save herself time by avoiding driving around the housing estate,” Mr Hall stated.
The evening before the early morning incident, Mr Tomlinson had been enjoying an evening with mates watching football and consuming alcohol. He departed with a friend, visited another person’s flat then took a taxi to a petrol station for additional alcohol.
They returned to the Kitt Green Road flat, close to Mr Tomlinson’s home on Comet Road, and carried on drinking. The court heard there was a Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice in effect from 3am on January 9.
Mr Tomlinson was reported to have been intoxicated and having been ‘likely to have consumed cocaine and cannabis’ departed his mate’s flat. “Mr Tomlinson was able to use the toilet and walk down the stairs unaided, so his friends thought nothing of his ability to get himself from the flat to his home, a walk of 500 metres,” Mr Hall said.
CCTV footage captured him staggering before collapsing outside a property on Pembroke Road at approximately 3.19am. He was positioned ‘relatively central’ in the carriageway. He was dressed in a black jacket with a fluffy hood and black trousers.
Mr Tomlinson placed two calls to friends, leaving one a voicemail pleading for assistance. His mate described him as ‘very drunk, slurring his words’ and said he ‘did not know where he was’.
Mr Tomlinson has asked for his friend to call him a taxi but he couldn’t as he didn’t know where he was. At approximately 4.40am, a resident ventured outside to de-ice his vehicle. He discovered Mr Tomlinson, who was ‘incoherent’ and ‘unresponsive’. His partner dialled for an ambulance at 5.05am.
“In an awful twist of fate, the North West Ambulance Service had notified Greater Manchester Police, and neither of the two agencies could find the patient and never attended the scene,” Mr Hall said.
A separate inquiry into the conduct of the emergency services is underway. Mr Hall said: “It would appear the provided address wasn’t properly recorded and so the address provided to both agencies was incorrect. They attended at the wrong address and couldn’t find the right address.”
Murphy lied ‘to avoid responsibility’ The woman’s brother-in-law, who had called for an ambulance, blocked the south end of the road with his taxi before Murphy emerged from her house. She was spotted trying to clear her windscreen for a few seconds at 5.44am.
“It was woefully inadequate,” Mr Hall added. “When she reversed, she had practically no outward visibility from the driver’s seat.” At 5.48am, she drove onto Pembroke Road, her Citroen DS3 headlights lighting up Mr Tomlinson in the road.
She was then captured on CCTV driving forward, pausing briefly in front of Mr Tomlinson before running over him. She then reversed over his body, before driving over him again.
People were ‘waving their arms and shouting’ and a nearby taxi driver was honking his horn. As they dialled 999, Murphy was heard in the background saying: “I didn’t see him”.
“Sadly, Megan Murphy decided to deliberately lie to avoid responsibility for what she had done,” Mr Hall added. “In the 999 call that followed, she said she was leaving to drive the correct way on Pembroke Road. Three minutes after the collision, she walked away to make a phone call to a friend in which she claimed she had reversed over him – which was clearly not correct – and called him a smackhead.”
A friend advised her to ensure she had properly defrosted her windscreen or she would ‘get f***ed’ as he was ‘already on the floor in the way and because he is a crackhead’. Murphy was then spotted trying to properly clear ice from her windscreen. A forensics expert noted that visibility remained poor despite her efforts.
Mr Tomlinson was declared dead at the scene. A post-mortem examination revealed he had suffered numerous bruises and cuts across his body. His death was caused by chest injuries and acute alcohol poisoning. Judge Clarke stated that while alcohol wasn’t directly responsible for Mr Tomlinson’s death, it worsened his condition.
Detective Constable Carl Boydell from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit commented: “This was a truly tragic and entirely avoidable incident that has resulted in the devastating loss of a life. Our thoughts remain firmly with Darryl’s family and loved ones as they continue to come to terms with what has happened.
“This outcome reflects just how seriously the courts treat dangerous driving. Motorists have a responsibility to always follow the rules of the road and to ensure their vehicle is safe before setting off. Even in cold weather, taking the time to properly clear windows and ensure full visibility is essential. If you cannot see clearly, you cannot drive safely.”
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