Father and son rammed family car at 60mph as boy, 4, was thrown to his death
An "angry" driver and his passenger who killed a four-year-old boy and paralysed his father in a deliberate ramming of the family's car at around 60mph have been jailed.
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, of Hill Rise in Darenth, Kent, were also sentenced for inflicting grievous bodily harm on Peter's father, Lovell Mahon, who was driving the family car and suffered serious injuries including a skull fracture and will never walk again. Advertisement
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Peter was thrown from the pick-up truck and died of "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. 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."
-Credit:Kent Police
The duo were cleared of murder following a trial last month.
Owen Maughan had previously admitted to the manslaughter of Peter, who was his cousin's son, while the jury found Patrick Maughan guilty of manslaughter. The jury heard that the duo had been drinking in Rochester earlier that day, consuming around 12 bottles of beer and 13 pints respectively, before they began driving their Ford Ranger pick-up truck home. Advertisement
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They encountered a similar vehicle and pulled up next to it, leading to a shouting match between the two cars, with Owen and Patrick Maughan "terrorising" and "chasing" the other car along the A2 in Kent for several miles.
Owen Maughan veered into the wrong lane as he approached a blind bend and clipped the Ford pick-up truck at about 60mph, causing the car to roll over three times, the court was told.
Peter was in the back of the car with his one-year-old sister Annarica Mahon, while their mother Hayley, Owen Maughan's cousin, was in the front passenger seat next to Mr Mahon.
Ms Maughan saw Peter lying face down in the grass and screamed for help, the trial heard.
She informed officers that the family were on their way home "happy, laughing, joking", having visited McDonald's, and were driving around to get the children to sleep before the crash occurred. Advertisement Advertisement
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In a victim impact statement read out in court on Wednesday, Ms Maughan said the family had the "best life" prior to the incident but now they are a family "surviving, not living". She described Peter as her "other half", always together, and a "happy boy".
-Credit:Kent Police
"His favourite place in the world was school, he was very popular at school," the 24-year-old stated. "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 revealed that on the day of the "horror", Peter's packed lunch for school the next day was ready in the fridge and his shoes were by the door.
Speaking directly to Owen and Patrick Maughan, her statement declared: "Those responsible have left our family broken", adding: "You've taken away my baby."
During his testimony at the trial, Owen Maughan told the jury he was unaware there were children in the other vehicle, but on Wednesday Judge Saxby said he told a number of lies in his evidence and added: "He had." Advertisement Advertisement
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Owen Maughan also claimed 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. Following the collision, Owen and Patrick Maughan drove away and stopped for Patrick Maughan to pull the registration plate off the truck.
The court was told that Mr Mahon and Owen Maughan had never met and the latter did not associate with his cousin Hayley.
A statement read to court from Mr Mahon outlined how difficult it was living each day without his son and in a wheelchair.
"Life will never be the same," he said. "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 described his rehabilitation as a "full-time job" while Ms Maughan revealed that from the moment that "horrible" day occurred, she transformed into a carer.
In her statement she explained that Mr Mahon now suffers from severe anxiety and paranoia, including becoming distressed if someone drives too close to them.