Drunk Father Arrested in Bed for Alleged Murder of Four-Year-Old Cousin
This is the dramatic moment a heavily intoxicated father was arrested while lying in bed, suspected of murdering his cousin's four-year-old son by deliberately ramming the family's truck off the road. Footage captured by police body cameras shows Patrick Maughan, 54, topless and under a floral duvet, surrounded by officers at his sister's home in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Court Hears Details of Fatal Crash
The bodycam clip was presented to jurors at Maidstone Crown Court, where Patrick Maughan and his 27-year-old son Owen Maughan are standing trial for the murder of Peter Maughan. The tragic incident occurred on June 1 last year when the young child was thrown from a Ford Ranger Wildtrak during what prosecutors describe as a road rage attack. Both defendants have entered pleas of not guilty to the murder charge.
Little Peter was traveling in the vehicle alongside his mother Hayley Maughan, father Lovell Mahon, and his then one-year-old sister Annarica when the fatal collision took place. The court heard that the four-year-old suffered severe and devastating injuries to his head, chest, and abdomen, and was pronounced dead at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford just thirty minutes after the crash. Medical experts testified that even with immediate medical intervention, the young child would not have survived the catastrophic injuries.
Family Devastated by Aftermath
Lovell Mahon sustained multiple fractures and significant brain trauma in the incident, leaving him unlikely to walk again. He has no memory of the crash and has been unable to provide a statement to police investigators. Hayley Maughan and her daughter Annarica escaped with minor injuries, though the emotional trauma has been profound for the entire family.
Prosecutors detailed how the defendants had been drinking at the Jolly Knight club and City Wall wine bar in Rochester, Kent, consuming as many as twenty-five bottles of beer between them before the fatal encounter. The court heard that Patrick Maughan had been "revving up" the situation according to Peter's mother, who described her uncle by marriage as making the confrontation "ten times worse."
Road Rage Incident Unfolds
The prosecution outlined how the defendants were "in a fury" as they followed their cousin's vehicle for several miles along the A2 motorway between Cobham and Northfleet. After the vehicles came together by chance, the family's Ford Ranger was chased for approximately five minutes before exiting at the Pepperhill junction shortly before 9:30 PM.
Following a brief and angry encounter at the roundabout, during which Mr. Mahon shouted that there were "children in the motor," Owen Maughan is alleged to have used his vehicle as a weapon while being "actively encouraged" by his father. In the aftermath of the fatal smash, Owen drove away from the scene, leaving his family members behind.
Arrest and Investigation Details
The pair stopped briefly in Longfield for Patrick Maughan to remove the front number plate from their damaged truck before continuing past their home in Hill Rise, Darenth, and on to Plantation Road in Hextable, where the vehicle was eventually abandoned. Jurors were told that one of the children's pushchairs remained wedged under the chassis after falling from the rear of Mr. Mahon's Ranger during the incident.
Owen Maughan was arrested the following day after voluntarily presenting himself at Medway police station with his mother. Officers described him as "calm but a little bit emotional" during the arrest process. His father, however, was not located until 12:40 AM on June 3, when police traced him to the Berkshire property.
Intoxicated Arrest Captured on Camera
Having forced entry to the property, officers wearing body-worn cameras captured the moment they encountered the shirtless, heavily intoxicated 54-year-old under a floral duvet. After being handcuffed and cautioned on suspicion of murder and three offences of attempted murder, he initially claimed not to have a phone, though officers later discovered one belonging to him in the kitchen. The PIN was never provided, preventing police from accessing the device.
The arresting officer testified that Patrick Maughan was "very obviously drunk," with his breath smelling "very strongly" of intoxicants. When questioned about his alcohol consumption, he simply replied: "A lot." The court clarified that although police forced entry to the property, it was not because anyone had refused to let them in.
Defendants' Statements and Charges
During police interviews, Patrick Maughan mostly answered "No comment" aside from providing two prepared statements. In the first, he stated: "I was simply a passenger in the car and it was my intention to go home. I had no intention or joint intention to cause anyone serious harm or death." His second statement reiterated that he was merely a passenger in his son's vehicle, adding: "I did not plan, conspire or agree to cause anyone serious harm or death to any other person."
Owen Maughan similarly answered "no comment" when questioned by investigators. Although father and son were initially arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, the jury has been informed that Owen is now specifically on trial for the murder of Peter Maughan, causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Lovell Mahon, and attempting to cause GBH with intent to both Annarica Maughan and Hayley Maughan.
Patrick Maughan faces eight separate charges including murder and manslaughter in respect of Peter, causing death by dangerous driving, three offences relating to Mr. Mahon (causing GBH with intent, inflicting GBH, and causing serious injury by dangerous driving), and two charges of attempting to cause GBH with intent to Annarica and Hayley Maughan.
Jurors have also been informed that Owen Maughan has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, as well as causing serious injury by dangerous driving and inflicting GBH in respect of Lovell Mahon. The trial continues as the court examines the tragic circumstances surrounding this devastating family tragedy.
