A father and son from Ireland have been jailed after they caused the death of a four year old boy when they deliberately rammed his family’s vehicle off the road in Northfleet.
Owen Maughan was driving the Ford Ranger with his father Patrick in the passenger seat on Sunday 1st June 2025 when they followed another Ford Ranger containing Peter Maughan along with his mother, father and sister.
Their car was then rammed off the road causing it to roll three times. The crash led to fatal injuries to Peter, who was thought to be unsecured in the vehicle, as well as serious injuries to the driver and minor injuries to the woman and child.
The court heard that on the day of the collision Owen and Patrick, from Hill Rise, Dartford had spent the afternoon drinking with friends in pubs in Rochester. Over a six and a half hour period, Owen consumed around 12 bottles of alcohol and Patrick around 13 pints.
By chance, as the victims were returning home from Maidstone, their vehicle encountered Owen’s Ford Ranger and was followed for several miles along the A2. Dashcam footage from other motorists showed Owen tailgating the family’s vehicle and driving dangerously.
Attempts by the victims to get away were unsuccessful. Moments later, both vehicles left the A2 using the slip road at the Pepperhill junction. At one point both vehicles stopped side by side, and a verbal altercation took place.
Shortly before 9.30pm, along New Barn Road in Northfleet, Owen deliberately rammed the victims’ vehicle at approximately 60 mph, causing it to roll over.
Before emergency services arrived, the two children and the female passenger were taken to a local hospital. Despite the efforts of medical staff, four year old Peter died from his injuries. His father sustained life changing injuries, while his mother and sister suffered minor injuries.
Owen, 27, and Patrick, 54, fled the scene before officers arrived. CCTV later showed Patrick removing the number plate from their vehicle. The abandoned Ford Ranger was recovered in Hextable, with significant damage to the front and a child’s pushchair trapped underneath.
Owen handed himself in to a local police station the following day. Patrick was located and arrested in Berkshire on 3rd June 2025. Owen and Patrick were both charged with the murder of Peter, as well as causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent and two counts of attempted GBH with intent.
Following a three week trial at Maidstone Crown Court, both men — who were known to the victims — were acquitted of murder but were found guilty of manslaughter. Patrick was further found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm to the father, which Owen had previously admitted to.
At the same court on Wednesday 25th March 2026, 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.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Rachel Elmore 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.’
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