Megan Murphy, 26, drove the wrong way down a one-way street in Wigan and struck Darryl Tomlinson, 31, who had collapsed in the road. She then reversed over him and drove over him again, later referring to him as a 'smackhead' while he lay trapped under her car. Murphy pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and faces sentencing at Bolton Crown Court.
Incident Details
On January 9, 2025, at around 5:48 am, Murphy left her home on Kitt Green Road, Marsh Green, after inadequately defrosting her Citroen DS3 windscreen. She regularly reversed out of an access lane and drove the wrong way down one-way Pembroke Road to save time, a manoeuvre neighbours had observed repeatedly over the past year. On this occasion, she drove over Mr Tomlinson, who was lying in the road after collapsing following a night of drinking. CCTV footage shows her driving forward, stopping momentarily, then driving over him. She then reversed over his body and drove over him again. Witnesses waved their arms, shouted, and a taxi driver sounded his horn. In a 999 call, Murphy said, 'I didn't see him,' but later told a friend she had 'reversed over him' and called him a 'smackhead'.
Victim's Background
Darryl Tomlinson, 31, lived around the corner from Murphy on Comet Road. He had been drinking with friends, watching football, and had consumed cocaine and cannabis. He left a friend's flat at around 3:19 am, stumbled, and fell in the middle of Pembroke Road. He made two calls to friends, leaving a voicemail asking for help, but was unable to give his location. A neighbour found him at 4:40 am, incoherent and unresponsive, and called an ambulance at 5:05 am. However, due to an administrative error, the ambulance service and police were given the wrong address and never attended the scene. Mr Tomlinson died from multiple bruises and abrasions.
Family Statements
Mr Tomlinson's mother, Michelle, said in court: '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. 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 hold the ambulance service accountable for not finding him - but I hold the girl accountable for taking his life.' His brother, Lee, added: 'Murphy has shown me and everyone else what type of character she is, whereas my brother was nothing of the sort.'
Legal Proceedings
Murphy, now of Lord Street, Ince, admitted causing death by dangerous driving. The court heard that she had a habit of ignoring traffic rules to save time. Prosecutor Rob Hall noted that she had 'practically no outward visibility' when reversing due to inadequate defrosting. The case was adjourned for mitigation by Murphy's barrister, John Dove, with sentencing by Judge Nicholas Clarke KC scheduled for June 24. The North West Ambulance Service 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.' A separate investigation into the emergency services' actions is ongoing.
