Somebody killed my brother yet they’ve shown no remorse, not even an apology
The brother of a man who died after his motorbike was struck by an Audi on the M62 says his killer has shown "no remorse" and "no shred of humanity". Steven Naylor reached speeds of up to 120mph as he drunkenly flew down the motorway after his wife's birthday party.
The dad-of-four then ploughed into the back of a motorcycle being ridden by 23-year-old Owen Baugh, who was fatally knocked into the carriageway and hit by another vehicle. While the car driver himself was left seriously injured, having been impaled by a wooden fence when his car veered off the road, both him and his wife Lisa then set about weaving a web of lies in order to avoid the consequences of his mindless and selfish actions.
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This involved the couple vastly exaggerating the extent of the difficulties he had been left with as a result of the collision, thereby hoping that he would avoid justice. But, despite having claimed that he could barely walk, their cruel deceit was exposed by pictures and videos of him playing rugby, kayaking and going on boating trips, holidaying abroad and shopping at the supermarket.
Liverpool Crown Court[1] heard today, Thursday, that the Naylors held a belated birthday party for Lisa at their home address on Spinney Close in St Helens[2] on the evening of April 24, 2021. After members of their family had left, she recalled having gone to bed at around 11pm, leaving Steven downstairs.
While Lisa Naylor later noticed his phone on the bedside table, she subsequently woke up in the early hours to find that her 41-year-old husband had left the house.
Nicola Daley, prosecuting, said: "For some unknown reason, after consuming alcohol during the course of the evening, Stephen Naylor chose to get into his car and ended up driving along the M62 motorway." Advertisement Advertisement
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Around a mile prior to the scene of the crash at junction seven for Rainhill[3], Mr Baugh's motorcycle was captured travelling "entirely properly" in the middle lane at speeds of around 70mph. However, the same CCTV camera then recorded Naylor's Audi A4 travelling behind the bike at roughly 120mph while also "flashing his headlights to get people to move out of the way".
Steven Naylor, of Spinney Close in St Helens, aged 41 -Credit:Merseyside Police
Both remained in lane two when the car thereafter struck the back of the motorbike, pushing it towards the hard shoulder.
Mr Baugh, from Manchester, fell into the left hand lane as a result, at which stage he was struck by another vehicle, which was "unable to avoid" the collision, and killed.
In a statement which was read out to the court on his behalf, Owen's brother Dominic Baugh said: "Owen wasn't just my brother, he was my best friend. We did everything together, worked, trained, played videos games and travelled everywhere side by side.
"We were inseparable through good times and bad. He celebrated my successes and supported me through my failures.
The day he died, part of me died with him. Advertisement Advertisement
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"Growing up, my parents always told us that, when they were no longer here, we'd have each other to rely on. Until the day I start my own family, it's just me.
Owen will never share those moments with me. I'll never get to show my kids their uncle. I'll never have him as best man at my wedding.
Every dream we shared has been stolen from us.
"What's even harder is knowing that somebody took him away. Somebody killed my brother, yet they've shown no remorse, not even an apology. Their actions have shown no shred of humanity.
"The impact of his death has rippled through my family in ways that words can't express.
I never truly understood hatred and resentment until this person came into our lives and destroyed them.
"Losing Owen has left me feeling broken and depressed. If it wasn't for support of my friends, I don't know where I'd be. My parents have told me, if I wasn't here, they wouldn't be able to go on.
That burden weighs heavily on me. Advertisement Advertisement
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"That day, I was helpless and couldn't protect him. The pain of his loss is something I carry every day.
Their actions have shattered countless lives, leaving us all with unanswered questions and unimaginable pain.
"Owen was more than just a sibling. He was a best friend, a biggest supporter, in effect, my other half. Owen's life was full of promise.
Until justice is served, our family cannot begin to heal.
"We will continue to live in this limbo of grief, helplessness and unanswered questions. Owen deserves justice, and we deserve, finally, to be able to rebuild our lives."
Naylor's Audi continued onto the grass verge at the side of the motorway, smashing through a wooden fence and coming to rest in an adjacent field. This resulted in a "long piece of the fencing" piercing the front windscreen and impaling him to the left shoulder area.
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Police officers and paramedics who attended the incident reported a "strong smell of alcohol" when speaking to Naylor, who comment that "he was not the one worth helping, but that they should concentrate on assisting any others involved in the accident". He remained in hospital for several weeks until eventually being discharged on June 10, 2021.
But, later, his and 40-year-old Lisa Naylor's "conduct became dishonest by exaggerating the ongoing effects of his undoubtedly serious injuries". This initially saw them maintain that he did not have the capacity to consent for a sample of his blood, taken in the aftermath of the crash as he lay unconscious, to be submitted for analysis.
Having been charged with failing to provide a specimen of blood for analysis, he was ultimately cleared of this offence in his absence by magistrates in July 2023 due to the evidence of a psychiatrist, with Steven Naylor having presented as "distressed" and "hyperventilating, holding his chest in his hands" during a video link consultation with the clinician.
Having also "appeared perplexed and fallen asleep" during this meeting, Lisa Naylor claimed that her partner's short term memory had deteriorated and had been found to have fluid on his brain, in addition to ongoing issues with his "walking and gait".
Lisa Naylor, of Spinney Close in St Helens, aged 40 -Credit:Merseyside Police
However, detectives subsequently discovered that she had been sent a video of her husband playing rugby on April 2023 while messages also showed their plans to attend an 80s disco night for Steven Naylor's birthday and CCTV from Clock Face Miners rugby club showed him showed him carrying a tray of drinks from the bar on June 3. Six days later, he and his wife were caught on camera in the Glass House pub in the town, while he was then captured on numerous occasions in June and July 2023 visiting Aldi and Morrisons supermarkets independently and carrying his own shopping. Advertisement
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Further footage meanwhile showed him "standing, waiting to order some food" at Pennington Flash Nature Reserve in Leigh on June 15.
Then, on July 15, 2023, the day he had been due to appear before the magistrates' court, he was filmed attending the cinema with his co-defendant, "moving from the car, apparently unaided, throughout".
Naylor thereafter attended his brother's wedding the following month, even delivering a speech during the celebrations, with pictures taken in August 2023 also showing him in a canoe and "helping somebody climb a tree". With Merseyside Police still pursuing a prosecution against him in relation to the crash, he went on to tell another doctor during an assessment in September 2023 that he was unable to remember when he last ate or watched television.
Lisa Naylor meanwhile maintained that he was "struggling with mobility and used a walking stick inside the house". However, further evidence later showed him attending the gym, visiting the cinema again, assisting in rugby coaching, playing golf, embarking upon a boat trip, holidaying in Dublin, performing work on a car, kayaking and attending Reminisce Festival during the summer of 2024.
Both were then interviewed by police in October 2024 as a result of these findings but "misrepresented his true abilities", with Steven Naylor apparently seeming unsure how to use his walking stick when officers attended their home.
Ms Daley added: "Both have completed misrepresented the true abilities to various experts, in particular, from that 2023 period right through 2024, which caused significant delays in terms of this investigation and bringing this matter to court." Advertisement Advertisement
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Steven Naylor admitted causing death by dangerous driving around a month prior to a scheduled trial before pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice on the day he was due to face a jury. Having limped as he carried a holdall into the dock, where he wore a black long sleeved polo shirt and glasses, he showed no reaction as he was jailed for 12 years.
Lisa Naylor similarly pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice on the day of trial.
Wearing a black coat and sporting long black hair, she was imprisoned for 54 months.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Medland KC said: "Owen Baugh was a high achieving, greatly loved and busy young man with a very bright future. He was brave. He was charitable and he was public spirited.
"The facts of this case could scarcely be worse.
They are uniquely serious, in my long experience. I have never come across, either at the bar or on the bench, a case where two people were so determined to avoid the true consequences of the actions of one. Advertisement
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"They effectively conspired together to pervert the course of justice.
This against the background of a young man simply going to the gym who was killed because of the state of your driving, Steven Naylor.
"Because of your lies, deceit and selfishness, you escaped conviction for unlawfully failing to provide a specimen. You lied and gulled a psychologist who gave evidence on your behalf, based on what you said to him.
"You then proceeded to lie to various other psychiatrists, pretending that you were unfit to plead. By doing so, you have dragged this out and showed, in the view of the family and friends, no shred of humanity and understanding of the agony and despair you have heaped upon them.
"While they were mourning and grieving, you and your wife treated yourself to trips to discos, golf, Dublin, boat trips and lived a normal life of happiness and fulfilment, until the police came knocking for you again.
Yet again, you exaggerated whatever symptoms you may have had, undertaking an appalling pantomime of being virtually unable to walk. Advertisement Advertisement
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"You were assisted at every turn by your wife, Lisa Naylor. It is very difficult to reconcile your behaviour with the references, which are abundant, on your behalf and your previous good character.
"Throughout this, you could have pleaded guilty or indicated as such.
You would have reduced the agony of the family and friends. But you did not. You persisted.
Your protestations of being unfit to plead were, in my judgement, a sham from start to finish, and you knew that.
"This was a prolonged and sophisticated effort by you and your wife to defeat the true justice of the matter. You grossly delayed the prosecution of this case and thereby prolonged the agony of the deceased's family and friends. I have scarcely encountered a case even similar to this in its seriousness."
Steven Naylor was also banned from driving for 138 months and will be required to pass an extended retest before he is allowed back behind the wheel.
Owen's family said in a statement issued following the hearing: "Since Mr Naylor's actions on the night of 25 April 2021, our lives have come to a total, devastating stop. Advertisement Advertisement
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"The ripple effect has travelled as far as America, Pakistan and Dubai, where some of his best friends now live. His girlfriend still struggles to live a normal life.
"We would like to thank all the emergency services who dealt with the horrific incident on that night and members of the public who helped to try and divert traffic around the incident.
A special thank you to Merseyside Police and, in particular, Sergeant Andy Roper, Claire and Jack for their determined effort to bring this evil individual, who has never shown an ounce of remorse since day one, to justice."