A driver who admitted causing a fatal high-speed crash that killed a four-year-old boy has been cleared of murder by a jury at Maidstone Crown Court. Owen Maughan, 27, had previously pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Peter Maughan following the devastating incident on New Barn Road in Dartford, Kent, on June 1 last year.
Details of the Tragic Collision
The court heard that Owen Maughan deliberately drove into the wrong lane and clipped a Ford pick-up truck at approximately 60mph, causing the vehicle to roll over multiple times. Peter Maughan was thrown from the family's pick-up truck and succumbed to severe and devastating injuries to his head, chest, and abdomen.
Family Dynamics and Additional Charges
Peter was travelling in the back of the car with his one-year-old sister Annarica Mahon, while their mother Hayley Maughan, Owen Maughan's cousin, was in the front passenger seat. Her partner, Lovell Mahon, was driving and suffered serious injuries including a skull fracture, leaving him unlikely to walk again. Owen Maughan had also admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Mahon.
Patrick Maughan, 54, Owen's father and a front-seat passenger accused of encouraging the act, was similarly cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter. The jury also convicted Patrick Maughan of the same grievous bodily harm charge.
Events Leading to the Crash
Testimony revealed that Owen and Patrick Maughan had been drinking in Rochester earlier that day, consuming about 12 bottles of beer and 13 pints respectively, before driving their Ford Ranger pick-up truck home. They spotted a similar vehicle, which led them to believe the drivers might also be from the traveller community, and pulled up alongside.
Owen Maughan told jurors that Mr Mahon became aggressive and pointed at him, prompting Maughan to get pretty pissed off and start following him just to try and annoy him. He claimed he decided to dent the side of Mr Mahon's car so he would stop and get out for a fight, insisting he did not know there were children in the car and denied trying to cause serious injury.
Aftermath and Legal Proceedings
After the crash, Owen and Patrick Maughan drove off, pausing for Patrick to pull the registration plate off the truck in a state of panic, according to Owen. Hayley Maughan had filmed video clips of the two men following them and left a voice note for her mother expressing fear.
The court noted that Mr Mahon and Owen Maughan had never met, and Owen did not associate with his cousin Hayley. Owen expressed disbelief at seeing the car flip over, stating he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Both Owen and Patrick Maughan will be sentenced at a later date, following their convictions for manslaughter and grievous bodily harm in this tragic case that has left a family shattered and a community in mourning.
