Lauren Malt: Father who murdered teenage daughter by driving over her twice is jailed

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A father who killed his 19-year-old daughter by running her over twice has been jailed for a minimum term of 18 years.

Nigel Malt, 45, is said to have been “totally consumed with anger” as he reversed his car over his 19-year-old daughter Lauren Malt in West Winch in Norfolk then stopped and drove forward over her body on 23 January this year, after he threatened her boyfriend with a crowbar.

The 44-year-old was estranged from his family as the relationship was “marked by drink, drug-taking and the use of anger and violence”, a jury heard. Graphic audio clips of Lauren groaning after she was run over twice by Malt in his black Mercedes saloon car were played in court.

The court heard that Lauren, who suffered a broken back, breast bone and ribs, died of traumatic injuries to her chest and abdomen. Lauren was “crushed to death,” Mr Jackson added.

Norwich Crown Court was told Malt was “in a rage” and that Lauren had been trying to stop him from attacking her boyfriend, Arthur Marnell, with a crowbar.

Karen Malt, fighting back tears as she read her victim impact statement at Norwich Crown Court, said: “I remember the call saying ‘I will bring your daughter over, she's dead’.

“I was screaming 'which one' to him down the phone but he wouldn't tell me.”

She said that when Malt said he was driving to her, she thought that her daughter “must be okay”.

But when his car arrived and she saw inside the passenger door “the feeling of dread started to come over me”.

“I just knew she wasn't going to make it,” said Ms Malt.

Ms Malt said Lauren was “stuffed in the footwell” and felt sick when she saw the teenager in her state.

“I couldn't believe she had been stuffed down there,” she added.

“Seeing her in that position for me was worse than knowing she had been run over.”

She said she will “forever remember that night and think about ‘what if”’, including what if she had left the relationship sooner. The judge sentenced Malt to life in prison with a minimum term of 18 years, which is the amount of time he must spend behind bars before he can be considered for release.

He said Malt was tested by police at the time and found to have 170 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, more than the legal limit of 80 milligrams.

Malt, who had short-cropped grey hair and walked with a crutch, bowed his head through much of Wednesday’s hearing and showed no reaction as his sentence was read out.

Prosecuting, Andrew Jackson said: “In a rage, he intended to kill Lauren or at least cause serious harm to her.

“He reversed his car into and knocked over his daughter. Having knocked her to the ground and stopped. He then drove the car forwards again over her body.”

Commenting on mobile phone recordings of the incident, Mr Jackson added: “You can hear Lauren in agony beneath the car.

“These horrible sounds must have been obvious to the defendant.”

The jury was shown neighbours’ mobile phone footage where Malt shouts “Lauren get up please” after allegedly driving into her while a female neighbour can be heard shouting “you’ve killed her, you’ve f****** killed her.”

Malt’s relationship with his family was “marked by drink, drug-taking and the use of anger and violence by the defendant” and his wife had moved into a separate home last April. His estranged wife had reported him to police in April 2021 for assaulting her, the prosecutor said.

“The estrangement from his wife and family fueled his anger,” Mr Jackson added.