Killer made 'cowardly decision' after fatal crash

A driver who killed his cousin's four-year-old son when he deliberately hit their car has told jurors he "made a cowardly decision" to flee the scene.

Owen Maughan, 27, has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Peter Maughan on 1 June, 2025, over the crash on New Barn Road in Dartford, Kent.

He is on trial for murder, alongside his father, Patrick Maughan, 54, who was the front seat passenger in his car. The pair, of Hill Rise in Darenth, deny the charge.

The trial at Maidstone Crown Court previously heard the pair were "in a fury" at Owen Maughan's cousin's car, and "chased" them down the A2 for several miles.

Peter Maughan was in the back of the car with his one-year-old sister while their mother Hayley, Owen Maughan's cousin, was in the front passenger seat and her partner, Lovell Mahon, was driving.

Giving evidence earlier, Owen Maughan told jurors he believed he and Mahon were going to fight after arguing back and forth between the cars.

Owen Maughan said: "When I looked at Lovell, he's waving his fist around, aggressive and pointing at me.

"I didn't know why he was doing that… I didn't know what the problem was.

"I got pretty pissed off with it."

He said it made him upset and he slowed down, getting behind the vehicle, and started "following him just to try and annoy him".

He said when he noticed Mahon was driving away, he decided to "nudge" his car, adding: "I thought I would just put a dent on the side of his car and he would stop."

Owen Maughan drove into the wrong lane and clipped the back of their Ford pick-up truck at about 60mph (97km/h), the court heard.

Prosecutor Richard Jory KC had said the action was "a deliberate ramming at high speed", and that Owen Maughan had "used his car as a weapon to ram the other vehicle off the road".

Peter was thrown from the vehicle and died as a result of the crash.

Mahon was seriously injured and is unlikely to walk again.

Owen Maughan denied knowing there were children in the car and said he did not hear Mahon say there were "children in the motor".

He told the court that on seeing the car roll several times, he "made a cowardly decision" and "kept driving away".

He had been drinking in Rochester with his father earlier that day, and they had about 12 bottles of beer and 13 pints respectively, before they began driving their Ford Ranger pick-up truck home, the court heard.

The court previously heard how the pair drove off and paused for Patrick Maughan to pull the registration plate off the truck.

Owen Maughan told the court it was to "evade police" and he was in a state of "panic", adding: "I was shocked, I couldn't believe what was happening."

In his evidence, he told jurors he organised to leave Kent that night and went to Manchester, but on hearing of Peter's death he knew he had to "go back and face the consequences".

He handed himself in to a police station with his mother the next morning.

In cross-examination by the prosecution, Owen Maughan denied the suggestion he had done precisely what he intended to do.

Jory said he could have stopped to try to help after the crash, and Owen Maughan replied: "I wish I did."

Owen Maughan has also pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mahon.

Patrick Maughan denies the charges.

The trial continues.

Additional reporting from PA Media.

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