Father and son jailed after killing boy, 4, when they rammed family’s car off road
A father and son have been jailed for causing the death of a four-year-old when they deliberately rammed his family’s vehicle off the road.
Listen to this article
Owen, 27, and Patrick, 54, Maughan were following a car containing four-year-old Peter Maughan and his mum, dad, and sister on June 1 2025, when they rammed the family's car off the road.
The incident caused fatal injuries to Peter, as well as serious injuries to the dad and minor injuries to his mum and sister.
Owen and Patrick were both charged with Peter's murder, as well as causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent and two counts of attempted GBH with intent.
Both men, who were known to the victims, were acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter at Maidstone Crown Court.
Read more: Britain 'to be hit harder than any other G7 economy' by war in Middle East
Detective Inspector Rachel Elmore, senior investigating officer, said: "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."
Patrick was further found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm to the father, which Owen had previously admitted to.
Owen was jailed for 12 years and eight months and Patrick was jailed for 18 years. Both were disqualified from driving for an extended period of time after their release from prison.
On the day of the collision, Owen and Patrick, from Hill Rise in Dartford, had spent the afternoon drinking in pubs in Rochester. Over six and a half hours, Owen drank 12 bottles of alcohol and Patrick had around 13 pints.
As the victims were travelling home from Maidstone, they crossed paths with Owen driving his Ford Ranger.
Owen followed the victims for several miles along the A2, dashcam footage show him tailgating the family's vehicle and driving dangerously.
They were unable to get away from him, and moments later, they left the A2 at Pepperhill Junction where, upon stopping side-by-side, a verbal altercation took place.
Owen deliberately rammed the family's car at approximately 60mph, causing it to roll over, shortly before 9.30pm along New Barn Road in Northfleet.
The two children and their mum were taken to a local hospital before emergency services arrived, but Peter died from his injuries.
His father sustained life changing injuries and his mother and sister suffered minor injuries.
Owen and Patrick fled the scene before officers arrived and their abandoned car was later recovered in Hextable.
Patrick had removed the number plate from their vehicle and there was significant damage to the front with a child's pushchair trapped underneath.
Owen handed himself in to police the next day, Patrick was arrested in Berkshire on June 3, 2025.