Driver who left friend dying is locked up

James Maughan, 20, was behind the wheel of a Suzuki Jeep when he failed to stop at a junction and collided into another vehicle.

Father-to-be Travis O’Neil, 19, who was travelling in the back without a seatbelt, was flung from the Jeep.

But Maughan then sped off as a witnesses tried to save his friend following the crash in Sheffield last November.

Travis, who was expecting a baby with his girlfriend Chelsea Lynch, was rushed to hospital following but died from head injuries less than an hour later.

Maughan was due to stand trial for causing death by dangerous driving but changed his plea to guilty at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday.

He must serve at least half of a four-year sentence in a young offenders’ institution and was given a five-year driving ban.

Michael Rawlinson, prosecuting, said: “The junction is clearly marked and there is an unobstructed view but Maughan went straight across. The Suzuki spun out of control, hit a road sign and mounted a grass verge.

“As witnesses gathered to give first aid to Mr O’Neil before emergency services arrived, the Jeep reversed back off the grass verge and drove off.”

In a victim impact statement, Chelsea said: “How am I going to explain to my daughter she has to grow up without a daddy?”

The Jeep, bought by Travis that day, was found burned out days after the crash.

Maughan, who has a three-year-old daughter, handed himself in after a police appeal for information.

In interview with detectives he blamed the driver of the Volkswagen Golf which collided with the Jeep for the crash.

Michael Blakey, defending, said: “Travis was his close friend, he is devastated, and it will live with him for the rest of his life.”

Maughan, of no fixed abode, also admitted assaulting a prison warden with a pan of hot water while in custody.