A father who murdered his 19-year-old daughter by running her over twice in a fit of rage has died in prison.
Nigel Malt, 44, killed Lauren Malt outside the family home in Norfolk in January 2022. She had stepped in to protect her boyfriend from a crowbar attack when Malt reversed his Mercedes into her—then drove forward again as she screamed in pain.
Lauren lived at the home with her mother and younger siblings. Malt had previously breached bail conditions from a separate assault charge involving his wife and had turned up at Lauren’s workplace before the fatal incident.
He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 18 years, later increased to 22 years.
Malt was found dead at HMP Gartree in Leicestershire on April 29, though the cause of death has not been released. A Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigation is underway, as is standard with in-custody deaths.
On the night of the murder, Malt made 19 unanswered calls to the family home. The final call lasted just over a minute, and he arrived shortly after.
A confrontation followed. Witnesses said Malt was “consumed by anger” and tried to attack Lauren’s boyfriend with a crowbar before turning his car on Lauren and slamming into her at speed.
A bystander screamed, “You’ve killed her, you’ve f***ing killed her,” as Malt tried to stop anyone from calling the police. Instead, he put his injured daughter in the passenger seat and drove her to the shop where his estranged wife worked, after calling to tell her their daughter was dead.
At the hospital, he was overheard saying, “My baby. It’s my mistake that caused all this.”
Lauren’s injuries included a broken back, breastbone, ribs, and severe trauma to her chest and abdomen. She was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
During sentencing, Judge Anthony Bate described the act as an “alcohol-fueled rage” and said Malt had used his car as a “lethal weapon” in a residential area.
“She should have been safe in her father’s company,” the judge said.
