A heartless motorist repeatedly drove over a man who had fallen into the road before callously branding him a 'smackhead'.

Personal trainer Megan Murphy, 26, failed to properly clear her windscreen in the early hours of 9th January last year before travelling the wrong way down a one-way street near her former residence in Marsh Green, Wigan.

Darryl Tomlinson, 31, who lived just around the corner from Murphy, had collapsed after a night out drinking with friends. Murphy drove over him, reversed, and then drove over him a second time, reports Manchester Evening News.

In the immediate aftermath, she claimed 'I didn't see him', before telling a friend she had just 'reversed over him'. The court heard she referred to Mr Tomlinson as a 'smackhead' while he remained beneath her vehicle. Neighbours dialled 999 upon discovering Mr Tomlinson, however 'in an awful twist of fate', neither police nor paramedics 'could find the patient and never attended the scene'. He tragically died in the street.

Murphy, now residing at Lord Street, Ince, appeared before Bolton Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday 23rd June, having previously admitted causing death by dangerous driving. She was due to learn her fate on Wednesday 24th June.

Presenting the facts of the case, Rob Hall stated that at the time of the incident, Murphy resided on Kitt Green Road, Marsh Green. She had developed a 'habit' of reversing out of an access lane before driving the wrong way down one-way Pembroke Road and turning onto Kitt Green Lane.

Neighbours had witnessed her carrying out the 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," Mr Hall said.

The evening before the early hours incident, Mr Tomlinson had been at a friend's house drinking while watching football. He departed with a companion, visited another person's flat before taking a taxi to a petrol station to purchase more alcohol.

They returned to the Kitt Green Road flat, situated close to Mr Tomlinson's home on Comet Road, and carried on drinking. The court heard that a Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice had been in force from 3am on January 9.

Mr Tomlinson, said to have been drunk and having been 'likely to have taken cocaine and cannabis', left his friend'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.

He was subsequently spotted on CCTV stumbling along the street. Mr Tomlinson fell outside a property on Pembroke Road at around 3.19am.

He was 'relatively central' in the road, wearing a black jacket with a fluffy hood and black trousers.

Mr Tomlinson made two calls to friends, leaving one a voicemail requesting assistance. His friend described him as 'very drunk, slurring his words' and said he 'did not know where he was'.

Mr Tomlinson had asked his friend to call him a taxi, but this proved impossible as his whereabouts were unknown. At approximately 4.40am, a neighbour ventured outside to de-ice his vehicle and discovered Mr Tomlinson, who was described as 'incoherent' and 'unresponsive'.

His partner contacted the ambulance service 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 remains ongoing. 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."

The brother-in-law of the woman who had called for an ambulance blocked the southern end of the road with his taxi, shortly before Murphy emerged from her property. She was observed attempting to clear her windscreen for just a matter of 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 pulled out onto Pembroke Road, her Citroen DS3 headlights illuminating Mr Tomlinson lying in the road.

CCTV footage then captured her driving forward, briefly stopping in front of Mr Tomlinson before driving over him. She subsequently reversed over his body, before driving over him once more.

Bystanders were 'waving their arms and shouting' while a nearby taxi driver repeatedly sounded his horn. As witnesses dialled 999, Murphy could be heard in the background stating: "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 urged her to ensure her windscreen had been properly defrosted or she would 'get f***ed' as he was 'already on the floor in the way and because he is a crackhead'.

Murphy was subsequently observed attempting to properly defrost her windscreen, though a forensics officer confirmed visibility remained poor despite her efforts.

Mr Tomlinson was pronounced dead at the scene. A post mortem report revealed he had sustained multiple bruises and abrasions across his body.

'She has shown me and everyone else what type of character she is'.

Mr Tomlinson's mother Michelle said in a statement read in court: "He would do anything for anybody. He loved football from being able to walk. From playing it to watching it, he knew everything about the game.

"Since the day I lost my son, it changed all our lives. It was the worst day of my life. Whilst Darryl was in the road, Megan Murphy decided to get in her car and not defrost it properly.

"I really don't feel anything anymore since losing Darryl. 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."

Paul Tomlinson, known as 'Tommy', dad of Mr 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.

"He was not only my son but my working colleague and friend - I think about him every single day. The day I lost Darryl was the day I lost half of me."

Mr Tomlinson's brother, Lee, added: "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.

"[Murphy] has shown me and everyone else what type of character she is, whereas my brother was nothing of the sort."

The proceedings were adjourned until Wednesday (June 24), when the court will hear mitigation from Murphy's barrister John Dove, before judge Nicholas Clarke KC hands down her sentence.

The Manchester Evening News contacted the North West Ambulance Service and Greater Manchester Police for comment.