Stephen Bates is accused of murdering Martin O’Donovan during a 70th birthday party
Police at the scene on Stonyhurst Road in Woolton
A man told police “I’ve done f***ing nothing wrong here” as he was arrested after running over and killing his girlfriend’s brother. Martin O’Donovan died aged 47 after being hit by Stephen Bates’ Ford Fiesta outside his sister’s home on Stonyhurst Road in Woolton during his mum’s 70th birthday party.
While the two were initially said to have “hit it off straight away”, they later became embroiled in a drunken punch up when the 42-year-old defendant apparently insisted on driving home despite having downed a cocktail of Jagerbombs, Stella Artois, Red Bull and vodka. He then allegedly threatened that he would “pay someone to come and get” the other man before returning to the scene in his car and “deliberately driving straight at him”.
Mr O’Donovan was left trapped beneath the chassis as a result, with his uncles and cousins having worked together in order to lift the vehicle up and free their relative. However, he subsequently died in hospital after suffering serious head injuries during the incident.
Bates, of Herondale Road in Mossley Hill, meanwhile went on to tell the police officers who arrested him “I know what I’ve done, I’ve f***ed up”. He is currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of murder.
Jurors were played footage from the body worn cameras of officers who attended the incident this afternoon, Thursday. Police first arrived the scene at 11.51pm, with Bates being seen standing on the pavement while using his phone as he was handcuffed, to which he responded: “I know, I know. It’s alright. I’m not going.”
Having been placed in an unmarked police vehicle, Bates was heard to say as he was cautioned: “Yeah, I know what you’re gonna say. It’s alright kid. Don’t f***ing. Yeah, I know. Tell me. I know. I’ve done f***ing nothing wrong here. Alright. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go ‘ed. Do it.”
Bates was subsequently told that he would be required to take a roadside breath test, at which stage he said: “Just breathalyse me. It doesn’t matter. Just breathalyse me. I know what I’ve done, and what I’ve done is wrong. I know. F***ing f***ed up, and that’s it. I’m over the limit, that’s it.”
But Bates then appeared to refused to comply with the test, saying: “Do it at the station. I don’t want to do it now. Just do it at the station. I’m f***ed anyway. Just do it at the station. I’m not refusing.”
However, Bates did ultimately comply with this test and gave a reading of 99 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath. Further footage apparently showed him in distress in the rear of a police van as he was being transported to Belle Vale Police Station.
Pictured wearing a navy blue G-Star Raw gilet over a beige jumper, he told PCs: “I’m terrified. What I’ve done. I’m terrified. I know I’m going to prison. I know, I know I’m going to prison. It’s f***ing. I’m f***ing s***ting myself. It’s f***ing terrifying. I don’t know. I f***ed up.”
Having taken further breathylser tests once in custody, Bates gave readings of 92mg and 89mg. He added at this stage: “F***ing ruined my life, haven’t I? My life’s ruined.”
While an officer replied “we don’t know yet, do we?”, Bates held his head in his hands as he went on to say: “No, it is. My whole life is ruined. F***ing hell, my life has gone. What the f***. What the f***. My whole life is f***ing ruined.”
46-year-old Martin O’Donovan, who died following an incident on Stonyhurst Road, Woolton(Image: Merseyside Police )
John Benson KC previously told the jury of three men and nine women during the prosecution’s opening on Tuesday that the party at Ms Lewzey’s home on the evening of April 18 this year had “started off as a happy family occasion”, with a “jolly atmosphere” being described as they celebrated their mum’s 70th birthday. However, Bates was said to have become “progressively more inebriated” during the course of the evening.
This led to a row between him and Ms Lewzey, his girlfriend of 19 months, during which he refused to take a taxi home and instead insisted on driving. Mr O’Donovan, who had only met his sister’s partner for the first time that evening but had “got on well” with him, was asked to reason with him as a result.
But the two men instead ended up exchanging punches in the front garden, with Bates reportedly shouting after the fighting had been broken up: “Look at you. You’re a f***ing p***y. You’re a c***. You’re all c***s.”
While Bates ultimately agreed that another sister, Natalie O’Donovan could drive him home in his car, he was described as being “seething” during this 12-minute journey and “furious with Martin O’Donovan for what had happened earlier”. He was also said to have “said he’d kill him” and would “get someone to kill him”, adding that he “wasn’t going to get away with having punched him”.
Having directed Ms O’Donovan to drive to Barndale Road, the street next to where he lived, Bates then took hold of the car keys and “sped off” without her. With the return journey back to Stonyhurst Road having taken him only five minutes to complete, he reportedly “suddenly turned and drove straight at Martin O’Donovan”, who had been sitting on a wall outside the address.
Bates then apparently continued revving the engine, seemingly attempting to continue driving, being labelled “completely unmoved” following the collision. Ms Lewzey, who had witnessed the crash, meanwhile banged on his window in a “hysterical” state while “screaming for him to stop”.
Mr Benson said of Mr O’Donovan’s injuries: “It was clear to medics that he was critically injured. He suffered two cardiac arrests before he was taken hospital. Lifesaving procedures were undertaken. These were futile. He was pronounced life extinct at 4.32am on the 19th of April at 47 years of age.
“The injuries supported a conclusion that Martin O’Donovan had been run over at least once. The injuries to his skull were extensive. He also suffered extensive chest and abdominal injuries.”
Following the incident, Bates was said to have got out of his car before walking “to the other side of the road”. One witness heard him remark “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, what have I done?” while, shortly after 11.45pm, he went on to make a 999 call in which he said: “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.”
Police who attended the scene noted Bates was “extremely intoxicated”, while he told officers “I know mate, I’m not going anywhere” as he was handcuffed. Having then been told he would be required to undergo a breathalyser test, he added: “I know what I’ve done. I know what I’ve done is wrong. I’ve f***ed up.”
When interviewed at Belle Vale Police Station the following day, Bates claimed he “didn’t see Martin” and denied having intentionally driven at him. He also told detectives he had returned to the property as Ms O’Donovan had informed him during the journey back to his address that her sister “wanted to end the relationship”, and he was intending to “go back to speak to his partner”.
Mr Benson said: “In short, he would say that this was all a terrible accident. The prosecution do not accept that. The prosecution will invite you to consider various factors that indicate that the defendant returned to Stonyhurst Road in a hurry to enact his revenge for being punched by Martin O’Donovan and, no doubt, being made to look stupid.
“He repeatedly threatened that he would kill Martin O’Donovan. He was there to be seen, and he was a person he would have been looking out for. This was no accident. This was a deliberate manoeuvre, carried out in rage in order to enact the threats that he had made minutes beforehand. The prosecution say that his intentions were clear. The prosecution say, therefore, that Martin O’Donovan’s death was no unfortunate accident. It was clearly murder.”
Bates, who is represented by Andrew Haslam KC and Nicola Daley, denies the charge of murder, having pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. The trial, before Judge Neil Flewitt KC, continues.