Mother's frantic voice notes revealed in court as cousins chased family before fatal crash
In a harrowing courtroom revelation, the mother of a four-year-old boy killed in a devastating hit-and-run incident sent a series of frantic voice notes to her own mother while being pursued by her cousins along a major Kent motorway. Hayley Maughan, who was in the vehicle with her husband and two young children, could be heard telling her mother Erica that she "knew they wouldn't stop" as the terrifying chase unfolded on the evening of June 1 last year.
The fateful journey home
The tragic sequence of events began when the Maughan family were returning home from Pepe's restaurant in the town's high street. According to evidence presented at Maidstone Crown Court, their journey took a catastrophic turn around 9pm when their vehicle encountered that of Hayley's cousin Owen Maughan, 27, and his father Patrick, 54, "by chance" on the A2 in Kent.
Prosecutor Richard Jory KC told the jury that for reasons that remain unclear, Owen and Patrick "were or became very angry" and directed that fury toward the occupants of the family vehicle. The court heard that both men had been drinking earlier that evening at the Jolly Knight pub and City Wall wine bar in Rochester, with Owen consuming approximately twelve bottles of beer and Patrick around thirteen.
The terrifying pursuit captured
Although the exact starting point of the pursuit remains unknown, by approximately 9.20pm the high-speed chase was being captured on dashcam footage from three separate lorries. The footage, played in court, showed both pickup trucks intermittently braking heavily and pulling alongside each other as they travelled along the four-lane carriageway from the A2 junction with Shorne and Cobham.
Hayley Maughan documented parts of the terrifying ordeal through video clips sent to her mother. In one particularly chilling message showing Owen and Patrick's truck behind them, she remarked: "Look, he's still doing it." Just two minutes before the fatal collision occurred, she added the ominous words: "He's still following."
Erica Maughan could be heard in her own voice messages desperately asking her daughter's whereabouts and urging her to "drive on" as the situation escalated.
The fatal collision and aftermath
The prosecution told the court that during the chase, Owen Maughan called Hayley's brother Jason to declare his intention to ram the other vehicle. Less than two minutes later, at approximately 9.26pm, he had done exactly that, using his vehicle "as a weapon" according to the prosecution case.
The family were just over a mile from their home in Brakefield Road, Southfleet, when their car was "clipped at considerable speed", causing it to spin out of control and roll up to three times before coming to rest upright against a hedge.
Tragically, four-year-old Peter Maughan was thrown from the vehicle and suffered "severe and devastating" injuries to his head, chest and abdomen. He was pronounced dead at nearby Darent Valley Hospital shortly after 10pm.
While Hayley and her one-year-old daughter Annarica escaped with what were described as minor injuries, Peter's father Lovell Mahon, then 24, suffered multiple fractures and brain trauma that have left him unlikely to ever walk again.
Legal proceedings and charges
In what prosecutor Richard Jory KC described as a "slightly unusual" case, the prosecution argued that this constitutes a murder case, though both defendants have denied this charge. The Crown's case maintains that while Owen was at the wheel and responsible for the manner of driving, he was being "actively encouraged" by his father Patrick throughout the pursuit.
Owen Maughan has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Peter Maughan, and to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and inflicting grievous bodily harm on Lovell Mahon. However, he denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Mahon, as well as two offences of attempting to cause GBH with intent in respect of Annarica and Hayley Maughan.
Patrick Maughan has pleaded not guilty to murder and manslaughter, as well as denying causing Peter's death by dangerous driving and three offences in respect of Mr Mahon. He also denies two offences of causing GBH with intent in relation to Annarica and Hayley Maughan.
The court heard that after the crash, both men drove away from the scene, pausing only for Patrick to remove the registration plate from their vehicle. The trial continues at Maidstone Crown Court as the jury considers the evidence in this tragic family case that has left one child dead and a father with life-changing injuries.
