[A] drunken woman who killed a man by pushing him into a moving tram has been jailed.
Charrissa Loren Brown-Wellington (19/05/1986) of Canal Street, Chadderton has been sentenced at Manchester Crown Court Crown Square to five years in prison after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of Philip Carter.
The judge ruled she will remain on extended license for three years thereafter for dangerousness.
On Sunday 11 June 2017, Brown-Wellington spent the afternoon drinking in Piccadilly Gardens before making her way to Victoria Train Station.
After getting off a tram at the station at about 7.30pm, she randomly provoked an argument with Philip on the platform.
The argument escalated before Brown-Wellington lunged at Philip and pushed him as a tram was beginning to move off.
A combination of the momentum of the push and the tram setting off caused Philip to fall down the gap between the two carriages of the tram which continued moving.
The 30-year-old from Blackley suffered catastrophic injuries as a result and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
During interview Brown-Wellington admitted to pushing Philip but claimed she didn’t mean to kill him.
Speaking after the sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer Bob Tonge said: “We may never know definitively what prompted Brown-Wellington to confront Philip Carter but what we do know is that as a result of her actions, a man lost his life in the most horrific circumstances.
“He suffered a brutal death all because she lost her temper and she will now have to live with that as she carries out her prison sentence.
“Although it won’t bring him back, I hope the sentence passed here today will bring Philip’s loved ones some comfort to know that justice has been served.”
Nicky Moore of the CPS said: “This is a tragic case where a man lost his life following a brief argument with a complete stranger at a busy train station.
“Charissa Brown-Wellington used unnecessary force to push him. Mr Carter had no opportunity to defend himself and was crushed between the platform and the tram.
“We originally authorised that she was charged with murder. We accepted her plea to manslaughter at an earlier hearing as we recognised that she did not intentionally push the victim under a tram, but did so after she lost her temper during the argument. She must now face up to the consequences of her reckless actions as she begins this prison sentence.
“I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Carter.”
Philip Carter’s family has paid tribute to his life: “Phil was much loved by his family and his friends and had much life ahead of him.
“He was taken from us in June this year in completely unnecessary circumstanced. We cannot express how devastated we are that his life has been stolen from him.
“Phil is missed every minute of every day.
“Today his killer has been sentenced, and justice has been served.
“We can try to repair our heartache although no matter how long the sentence is, it will not bring Phil back or make our loss any easier.
“We need to attempt to move on and hopefully today will now provide closure for our pain over the last few months, however we will never forget Phil or the many memories he has given us.
“We would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the past few months.”