Horrific Final Moments Before Drink Driver's Deadly Hit-and-Run
Newly released footage reveals the terrifying final moments before a drink driver deliberately rammed a pick-up truck off the road at 60mph in a high-speed hit-and-run that killed a four-year-old boy and left his father paralyzed. The devastating incident occurred on the A2 in Kent just before 9:30pm on June 1 last year, resulting in unimaginable tragedy for the family involved.
Fatal Pursuit After Drinking Session
Owen Maughan, 27, and his father Patrick, 54, had consumed approximately 25 bottles and pints of lager between them during a six-hour drinking session in Rochester before the fatal crash. The court heard they were "in a fury" as they chased down the vehicle carrying four-year-old Peter Maughan, his mother Hayley Maughan, father Lovell Mahon who was driving, and one-year-old sister Annarica Maughan.
Dashcam footage released by the Crown Prosecution Service shows the two pick-up trucks levelling up along the motorway during an aggressive exchange. Audio recordings capture drivers screaming at each other, with one threatening to fight the other. Hayley Maughan can be heard pleading "please watch this, look he's still doing it" as she documented the terrifying pursuit on her phone.
Tragic Consequences of Deliberate Action
Owen Maughan accepted responsibility for Peter's death but denied intending to cause serious harm. He told Maidstone Crown Court that when he clipped the vehicle driven by Peter's father, he simply wanted to "nudge" it to force a stop for a fist fight. However, the impact caused the family's Ford Ranger Wildtrak to rotate out of control and roll up to three times.
Four-year-old Peter, affectionately known as Peter Rabbit by loved ones, was thrown from the rear seat and suffered severe and devastating injuries to his head, chest and abdomen. Medical experts testified these injuries were unsurvivable even with immediate medical care, with some bearing characteristics reminiscent of tyre tread marks.
Life-Altering Injuries and Legal Outcomes
Peter's father Lovell Mahon was also ejected from the vehicle and sustained multiple fractures and brain trauma, leaving him in a wheelchair and unlikely to walk again. Miraculously, Hayley Maughan and her one-year-old daughter escaped with minor injuries.
After deliberations lasting more than 17 hours, jurors acquitted both Owen and Patrick Maughan of murder. Owen had previously admitted manslaughter, while Patrick was found guilty of manslaughter and inflicting grievous bodily harm to Mr Mahon. Both were cleared of charges related to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to Hayley and Annarica Maughan.
Chilling Details of the Pursuit
The court heard that during a phone call with Hayley's brother Jason just seconds before the crash, Owen Maughan threatened "I'm going to ram them." After the collision, instead of stopping to help, the defendants sped away from what prosecutors called "the carnage they had created," driving through debris with a child's pushchair that had fallen from the rammed truck wedged under their chassis.
They stopped briefly so Patrick could rip off the front number plate in what was alleged to be a bid to cover their tracks, then abandoned their visibly damaged vehicle several miles away. Owen fled to Manchester while his father went to his sister's in Berkshire, where police found him heavily intoxicated and lying under a floral duvet.
Familial Connections and Trial Testimony
The defendants are respectively the cousin and uncle of Peter's mother Hayley Maughan. Although the families had not spoken for years, there was no ongoing feud, and the reason for trouble erupting within six minutes of their paths crossing that evening remained unclear to the court.
Hayley Maughan told police she was "genuinely in fear of my life" during the pursuit, describing Patrick Maughan as being red in the face and "revving up" his son "like a volcano ready to explode." She said they begged the pursuers to stop, telling them there were children in the vehicle.
Sentencing Awaits for Both Defendants
Judge Oliver Saxby remanded both men back into custody pending sentencing, telling them: "These, you well know, are serious offences. I need more information about you before I am in a position to pass sentence. But, you will know, it will be a lengthy sentence that I am obliged to pass."
The judge thanked the jury for their care in what he described as an "upsetting case" that would have taken its toll, and remarked on the dignity shown by those present in support of both victims and defendants. Both Owen and Patrick Maughan will be sentenced at a later date following further investigation into their backgrounds and motivations.
