Disturbing video of father and son who ‘deliberately’ rammed car, killing boy, 4

Police have released footage of the booze-fuelled incident where Owen Maughan, 27, and his father Patrick Maughan, 54, were involved in a crash that killed a four-year-old boy [NATIONAL NEWS]

Kelly Williams and Oliver Radcliffe Live News Reporter 11:23, 26 Mar 2026Updated 11:46, 26 Mar 2026

Disturbing video has been released by police after an "angry" driver and his passenger killed a four-year-old boy and left his father paralysed in a deliberate ramming attack. Driver Owen Maughan, 27, and his father, front seat passenger Patrick Maughan, 54, were sentenced on Wednesday to more than 12 years and 18 years respectively for the manslaughter of Peter Maughan.

The pair, from Hill Rise in Darenth, Kent, were also sentenced for causing grievous bodily harm to Peter's father, Lovell Mahon, who was behind the wheel of the family car and sustained serious injuries including a fractured skull and will never walk again.

Dashcam footage released following the sentencing shows Owen driving dangerously close behind the family's vehicle at 60mph. He deliberately crashed into the victims' car, causing it to overturn, reports the Daily Star[1].

Peter was ejected from the pick-up truck and died from "severe and devastating injuries" to his head, chest and abdomen on June 1 last year in New Barn Road, Dartford, Kent. Sentencing Owen and Patrick Maughan at Maidstone Crown Court, Judge Oliver Saxby KC said lives had been "irretrievably shattered by what you did" in "selfish" anger.

He told Owen Maughan: "You were angry he had not stopped and wanted to teach him a lesson.

This was no 'nudge' as you claimed in evidence."

Patrick Maughan, 54 has been jailed(Image: Kent Police )

"You were never going to stop, you didn't care what happened to Lovell Mahon and his family. 'We don't give a f***', as you had put it." CCTV footage later depicted Patrick removing the number plate from their vehicle. The deserted Ford[2] Ranger was discovered in Hextable, bearing substantial damage to the front and a child's pushchair ensnared beneath.

The pair were acquitted of murder following a trial last month.

Owen Maughan had previously confessed to the manslaughter of Peter, who was his cousin's son, while the jury found Patrick Maughan guilty of manslaughter.

The jury was informed that the duo had been drinking in Rochester earlier that day, consuming approximately 12 bottles of beer and 13 pints respectively, before they commenced driving their Ford Ranger pick-up truck home.

They came across a similar vehicle and pulled up alongside it, resulting in a verbal altercation between the two vehicles, with Owen and Patrick Maughan "terrorising" and "chasing" the other car along the A2 in Kent for several miles.

Owen Maughan swerved into the incorrect lane as he neared a blind bend and clipped the Ford pick-up truck at about 60mph, causing the car to overturn three times, the court was informed.

Peter was in the rear of the car with his one-year-old sister Annarica Mahon, while their mother Hayley, Owen Maughan's cousin, occupied the front passenger seat next to Mr Mahon.

Ms Maughan spotted Peter lying face down in the grass and cried out for assistance, the trial heard.

Owen Maughan, 27 was driving(Image: Kent Police )

She told officers that the family were travelling home "happy, laughing, joking", having been to McDonald's, and were driving around to settle the children before the collision happened.

In a victim impact statement delivered in court on Wednesday, Ms Maughan said the family had enjoyed the "best life" before the incident but now they are a family "surviving, not living".

She portrayed Peter as her "other half", always together, and a "happy boy".

"His favourite place in the world was school, he was very popular at school," the 24 year old said.

"Peter didn't get to start his life. He didn't get to go to school on a school trip.

He didn't even get to learn to read. Peter made me who I was, I had him when I was 18 and now he's gone I'm nothing."

She disclosed that on the day of the "horror", Peter's packed lunch for school the following day was prepared in the fridge and his shoes were positioned by the door.

Addressing Owen and Patrick Maughan directly, her statement said: "Those responsible have left our family broken", continuing: "You've taken away my baby."

During his evidence at the trial, Owen Maughan informed the jury he was unaware there were children in the other vehicle, but on Wednesday Judge Saxby said he told numerous lies in his testimony and stated: "He had."

Peter Maughan died in the crash aged four(Image: Kent Police )

Owen Maughan also maintained he believed he and Mr Mahon were going to fight after arguing between the cars, and he decided to "nudge" or dent the side of Mr Mahon's car so he would stop and get out. After the collision, Owen and Patrick Maughan fled the scene, stopping only for Patrick Maughan to remove the registration plate from the truck.

The court heard that Mr Mahon and Owen Maughan were strangers, with the latter having no association with his cousin Hayley.

A statement read out in court from Mr Mahon detailed the daily struggle of living without his son and being confined to a wheelchair.

"Life will never be the same," he expressed. "The death of Peter has broken me, he was too good for this world.

When I found out he was gone words can't even describe it. I can't even get to see Peter at his grave because of the bumps."

He characterised his rehabilitation as a "full-time job", while Ms Maughan disclosed that she became a carer from the moment that "horrible" day unfolded.

The pair had been boozing in the lead up to the incident

In her statement, she revealed that Mr Mahon now grapples with severe anxiety and paranoia, including distress when someone drives too close to them.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Rachel Elmore stated: 'This was a devastating and entirely avoidable tragedy. An innocent young child lost his life, a father has been left unable to walk again, and a mother now faces the unimaginable task of rebuilding her family while carrying her grief.

"Their lives have been irreversibly changed by the deliberate and dangerous actions of these two men.

No sentence can ever undo the pain they have caused.

"Yet despite everything, the victims and their family have shown extraordinary courage and resilience throughout this trial.

"I hope these sentences brings some measure of justice for them and offer a small degree of comfort to Peter's loved ones."

References

1. ^ reports the Daily Star (www.dailystar.co.uk)
2. ^ Ford (www.devonlive.com)