Killer who said he was too injured to stand trial caught playing rugby

Steven and Lisa Naylor have been jailed following the death in a crash of Owen Baugh. Photo / Supplied

A drunk driver in the UK who killed a motorcyclist in a crash but claimed he was too ill to stand trial has been caught playing rugby and dancing.

Steven Naylor, 41, reached speeds of up to 193km/h in his Audi A4 before driving into the back of a Suzuki motorbike on the M62 near Liverpool in April 2021, killing Owen Baugh.

Baugh, 23, from Manchester, was thrown into the carriageway where he was fatally struck by another vehicle.

Naylor’s car careered off the road through a wooden fence, resulting in a long piece of the fencing piercing his front windscreen and impaling him in the left shoulder.

Police said the father-of-four spent several weeks in hospital but once discharged set about spinning a “web of lies”, exaggerating his injuries. Naylor and his wife, Lisa, claimed he could barely walk but police found photographs and videos of Naylor playing rugby, kayaking, on holiday abroad and giving a speech at his brother’s wedding.

Bodycam footage of Naylor’s arrest showed the couple trying to continue the deceit, with his wife telling officers: “There might be too many people, he’s got a brain injury, he might be a bit overwhelmed.”

He admitted causing death by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice at Liverpool Crown Court and was jailed for 12 years. Lisa Naylor, 40, admitted perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

The court heard the Naylors had hosted a party at their home in St Helens on the evening of April 24.

Nicola Daley, prosecuting, said: “After consuming alcohol during the course of the evening, Stephen Naylor chose to get into his car and ended up driving along the M62 motorway.”

Naylor was captured on CCTV travelling behind Baugh’s red motorcycle at about 193km/h, “flashing his headlights to get people to move out of the way” before striking the back of the bike.

Police officers and paramedics who attended the incident reported a strong smell of alcohol on Naylor’s breath, but it was later claimed that his injuries meant he did not have the capacity to consent to a sample of blood being taken.

He was charged with failing to provide a specimen of blood for analysis, but was cleared in his absence by magistrates in July 2023. A psychiatrist had said Naylor had presented as “distressed” and “hyperventilating” during a video link consultation.

Lisa Naylor claimed her husband’s short-term memory had deteriorated and he had issues with his “walking and gait”.

Detectives subsequently discovered that she had been sent a video of her husband playing rugby in April 2023, while messages also showed their plans to attend a disco.

CCTV footage from Clock Face Miners rugby club showed him carrying a tray of drinks from the bar on June 3, and he was filmed on numerous occasions visiting supermarkets independently. The Naylors were interviewed by police in October 2024.

Judge Simon Medland KC said the couple had shown “no shred of humanity”. Steven Naylor was banned from driving for almost 12 years and will be required to pass an extended retest before he is allowed a licence again.

In a statement read out in court, Brian Baugh, Owen’s father, said his son was “such a kind, loving person”.

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