The laughter of a family road trip dissolved into a nightmare on the A2. Hayley, her partner Lovell, and their two young children, including little Peter, nicknamed “Peter Rabbit,” were enjoying a simple drive when another vehicle began to pursue them with menacing intent.
The pursuing truck, driven by Owen Maughan, relentlessly shadowed their Ford Ranger, weaving and accelerating, creating a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Hayley frantically captured the unfolding drama on her phone, sending desperate voice notes to her mother, Erica, detailing the escalating danger.
The chase culminated in a deliberate, brutal impact. Owen Maughan, now admitting to manslaughter, rammed Lovell’s vehicle. The force of the collision sent the Ford Ranger spinning, rolling three times before coming to rest on the opposite side of the road, facing a hedge.
Peter, tragically, was thrown from the vehicle. His mother found him lying motionless on the grass, a heartbreaking discovery that would forever haunt her. Despite desperate attempts at resuscitation, young Peter was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after 10 pm.
Hayley and one-year-old Annarica escaped with minor injuries, but Lovell Mahon suffered catastrophic injuries – multiple fractures and severe brain trauma that have left him unlikely to ever walk again. The prosecution argues Owen Maughan intended to kill or cause serious harm, aided by his father, Patrick, who allegedly actively encouraged the attack.
Hayley described her uncle, Patrick Maughan, as being consumed by rage in the moments before the crash – “blood red” in the face, “spitting and frothing” with anger. She testified that he “revved up” the situation, escalating the confrontation that led to the devastating collision.
The encounter appeared random, a chance meeting on the A2 with no known prior dispute. Yet, the consequences were irreversible. Hayley’s police interview revealed her sheer terror, her desperate plea to “get home” and the agonizing realization that a simple seatbelt check might have altered fate.
She confessed to a haunting regret: Peter had a habit of undoing his seatbelt, and in her panic, she hadn’t ensured it was fastened. “Maybe if I’d checked, he would have been alive,” she lamented, a mother’s grief echoing with unbearable weight.
After the crash, Hayley pulled her daughter from the wreckage and desperately searched for her son, her screams attracting the attention of a passing Tesla driver. He rushed the family to the hospital, but it was too late for Peter. A passenger from the Tesla remained at the scene, searching for Lovell.
Hayley insists this was no accident. “They knew what they were doing,” she told the court, “They had enough time to think. They chased us from… Cobham, Shorne.” The trial continues, seeking to unravel the truth behind this senseless tragedy and bring justice for little Peter Rabbit.
