Personal trainer repeatedly runs over man in Wigan
Megan Murphy, a 26-year-old personal trainer, has admitted causing death by dangerous driving after she repeatedly ran over Darryl Tomlinson, 31, in the early hours of January 9 last year. The incident occurred on Pembroke Road in Marsh Green, Wigan, where Murphy drove the wrong way down a one-way street after failing to properly defrost her windscreen.
Murphy, now of Lord Street, Ince, appeared for sentencing at Bolton Crown Court on Tuesday, June 23, and will learn her fate on Wednesday, June 24. She had earlier pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Sequence of events on the night
Rob Hall, prosecuting, outlined the facts: Murphy lived on Kitt Green Road and had a habit of reversing out of an access lane before driving the wrong way down one-way Pembroke Road. Neighbors had seen her perform this manoeuvre repeatedly over the course of a year. 'It would seem she ignored the rules of the road to save herself time by avoiding driving around the housing estate,' Hall said.
Mr. Tomlinson, who lived around the corner on Comet Road, had been out drinking with friends. He left a friend's flat at around 3:19 a.m., stumbling and falling in the middle of Pembroke Road. He was wearing a black jacket with a fluffy hood and black trousers. He made two calls to friends, leaving a voicemail asking for help, but was unable to provide his location.
A neighbor went outside to de-ice his car at around 4:40 a.m. and found Mr. Tomlinson incoherent and unresponsive. His partner called for an ambulance at 5:05 a.m. However, 'in an awful twist of fate,' neither police nor paramedics could find the patient and never attended the scene. A separate investigation into the emergency services' actions is ongoing. Hall explained: '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.'
The collision and aftermath
At 5:44 a.m., Murphy attempted to clear her windscreen for a matter of seconds. 'It was woefully inadequate,' Hall said. 'When she reversed, she had practically no outward visibility from the driver's seat.' At 5:48 a.m., she drove onto Pembroke Road, her headlights illuminating Mr. Tomlinson in the road. CCTV captured her driving forward, stopping momentarily in front of him, then driving over him. She reversed over his body and drove over him again.
People were waving their arms and shouting, and a nearby taxi driver was sounding his horn. As they called 999, Murphy was recorded saying, 'I didn't see him.' 'Sadly, Megan Murphy decided to deliberately lie to avoid responsibility for what she had done,' Hall added. In a subsequent phone call to a friend, she claimed she had reversed over him and called him a 'smackhead.' The friend encouraged her to properly defrost her windscreen, saying she would 'get f***ed' as he was 'already on the floor in the way and because he is a crackhead.'
Mr. Tomlinson was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem found multiple bruises and abrasions.
Family statements and impact
Mr. Tomlinson's mother, Michelle, said in a statement: 'He would do anything for anybody. He loved football from being able to walk. Since the day I lost my son, it changed all our lives. It was the worst day of my life. If Megan Murphy had seen him or if the ambulance had done their job properly, then Darryl would still be here. I do feel the ambulance contributed to his death, but Megan Murphy was the one who took his life.'
His father, Paul Tomlinson, said: 'I have had many sleepless nights thinking about what he suffered. I wake up having these nightmares and feel like giving up on life. Sixteen months on, and my emotions are still the same as they were on that day. Nothing can make me understand why he wasn't safe. I hold the ambulance service accountable for not finding him - but I hold the girl accountable for taking his life.'
His brother, Lee, said: 'Darryl was not just my brother, he was my best friend, my idol and my biggest support. Since my brother was taken from me, I feel like he's taken a piece of me with him. She has shown me and everyone else what type of character she is, whereas my brother was nothing of the sort.'
Legal proceedings and response
The case was adjourned until Wednesday, June 24, for mitigation by Murphy's barrister, John Dove, and sentencing by Judge Nicholas Clarke KC. The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said: 'We are sorry for the mistakes made in the management of the 999 calls received for Darryl, and we deeply regret the shortcomings in our response. We have been open with Darryl's family throughout and are committed to taking action following what happened, to reduce the risk of this happening again.'
