A mother of a four-year-old boy who died in a collision after being forced off the road by her cousin testified that they had pleaded with them not to pursue them, a court trial revealed.
Hayley Maughan recounted how she felt extreme panic as her cousin, Owen Maughan, and his father, Patrick Maughan, relentlessly pursued their family of four along the A2 in Kent until their vehicle overturned and crashed.
During the trial at Maidstone Crown Court, it was disclosed that following the accident, Ms. Maughan frantically searched for her children in the back seats and discovered that Peter was missing.
Jurors were informed earlier that the young boy was ejected from the car during the crash and succumbed to his injuries, which included severe trauma to his head, chest, and abdomen, making survival impossible. His distraught mother found him lying face down in a patch of grass and cried out for assistance.
Owen Maughan, 27, and Patrick Maughan, 54, are standing trial for the alleged murder of Peter, which occurred on June 1 of the previous year. As the two pickup trucks exited the A2 at Pepper Hill near Northfleet, prosecutor Richard Jory KC described how the defendants appeared enraged upon encountering Hayley’s family vehicle.
According to court testimonies, Owen deliberately veered into the wrong lane and collided with the rear of their Ford pickup truck at approximately 60mph. Mr. Jory characterized this action as a premeditated high-speed ramming, asserting that Owen had weaponized his vehicle to force the other car off the road.
Ms. Maughan was accompanied in the vehicle by her partner, Lovell Mahon, who was driving, and their children Peter and his then one-year-old sister, Annarica Maughan.
During her police interrogation, Ms. Maughan recounted how they had been pursued and how they had feared for their lives, emphasizing that they had pleaded with the defendants and had alerted them to the children’s presence in the car.
She expressed her belief that the incident was not accidental but a deliberate act, driven by an inexplicable motive. Ms. Maughan detailed their activities prior to the tragic event, mentioning a visit to McDonald’s and a drive to calm the children for sleep, especially noting Peter’s sleep issues.
She described the moments before the pursuit began as joyful, with laughter and jokes, but the situation quickly escalated as Owen and Patrick continued tailing them. Ms. Maughan captured videos of the defendants following them and even left a voice message for her mother expressing her fear.
When questioned about the defendants’ behavior, Ms. Maughan expressed bewilderment at their actions and their aggressive demeanor during the pursuit. She also highlighted Patrick Maughan’s role in exacerbating the situation rather than defusing it.
The court had previously heard that both Owen and Patrick Maughan had consumed alcohol in Rochester, Kent, that day, with Owen admitting to manslaughter charges related to Peter’s death and other driving offenses. Patrick Maughan, however, denies the charges presented against him.
The trial is ongoing.
