Man convicted of double death crash in Doncaster

A man who drove a car at 70mph through a village before fleeing when it crashed and burst into flames has been found guilty of causing the deaths of two of his passengers, police have said.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Mar 2016, 09:14 BST
Updated 22nd Mar 2016, 09:17 BST
The scene following the collision in Poppyfields Way. Picture Brtuce RollinsonThe scene following the collision in Poppyfields Way. Picture Brtuce Rollinson
The scene following the collision in Poppyfields Way. Picture Brtuce Rollinson

James Maughan, 21, was carrying four passengers when the fatal crash happened in Branton, near Doncaster, in August last year.

Liam Aldred, 26, and Dean McIntyre, 27, died in the crash, while 21-year-old Bradley Stevenson, who managed to get out of the car despite being on fire, suffered serious injuries.

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The trial at Sheffield Crown Court heard that Maughan fled the scene with a 15-year-old passenger and later checked himself into hospital in Swansea with serious burns. He gave a false name and said he was injured at a family barbecue.

James MaughanJames Maughan
James Maughan

He was today found guilty of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, South Yorkshire Police said.

The trial heard that, just seconds before the crash on August 25, the black Renault Megane overtook a Volkswagen Passat, which was already overtaking a car towing a caravan, at high speeds in a 30mph zone.

The Megane came into contact with the Passat, snapping off their door mirrors.

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It then clipped the kerb on the wrong side of the road, lost a back wheel and demolished bollards on a central reservation before ending up on its roof in flames in the front garden of a house.

James MaughanJames Maughan
James Maughan

Maughan, of Marshland Road, Doncaster, was in hospital in Wales and Sheffield for three weeks and was arrested in hospital two days after the crash.

He denied being the driver of the car during the trial.

Temporary Inspector Steve Askham, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “Maughan had absolutely no regard for other drivers, pedestrians or those inside the car with him when he drove so dangerously on the day of the crash.

“He showed further disregard when he left his friends inside the car to burn.”

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He continued: “Maughan has never shown any remorse for what he did and, despite threats of extreme violence towards our police officers, we prosecuted him without fear or favour.

“The victims’ families finally have answers about what happened.

“No prison sentence can bring Liam and Dean back, or undo the pain their families have been through, but I hope this will give them at least some comfort to allow them to begin to heal after so tragically losing two people who were dearly loved.”

Maughan will be sentenced on Thursday.