A father from King’s Lynn who ran over his daughter in a “fit of rage” following an argument has been found guilty of her murder.

Nigel Malt, 44, was yesterday convicted by a jury of six women and six men at Norwich Crown Court following a four-week trial. Reaching a unanimous decision, the jury took just eight hours to return the verdict.

Malt had denied murdering his 19-year-old daughter Lauren Malt outside her home in Leete Way, West Winch, on Sunday 23 January.

The court heard that on the evening of her murder, Malt had driven to her home address where he argued with her and her partner.

The pair continued to argue in the street before Malt got in his car, initially driving off with Lauren following on foot. Malt stopped the car and reversed at speed, hitting Lauren with the car before driving forward, running over her again.

As witnesses ran to Lauren’s aid, Malt got out of his car, picked Lauren up from the road and put her in front passenger footwell. Malt, who had been drinking drove to a nearby shop where Lauren’s mum worked, before taking Lauren to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.

Lauren was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at hospital and a Home Office post-mortem examination later established the cause of death as chest and abdominal injuries.

Police had been alerted to a disturbance in the small cul-de-sac shortly before 7.30pm and received multiple calls from neighbours stating they’d seen a woman deliberately hit by a car.

Units were deployed to the scene and to the hospital where Malt was arrested on suspicion of driving offences, including drink driving, and murder.

Malt was taken into police custody and questioned by detectives. During interview Malt stated that he’d reversed his car and thought he’d hit a wheelie bin, so drove forward only to hear another bang. He told officers he got out of his car and then found Lauren underneath. When witness accounts of neighbours were put to him, he said they were all lying.

Malt’s black Mercedes C200 involved in the collision was seized at the hospital and taken for examination by crime scene investigators.

Enquiries by the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team revealed Malt had been estranged from his family following several domestic incidents. The court heard that in 2019, Malt was alleged to have reversed toward Lauren in threatening manner almost hitting her leg. The matter was investigated at the time, but no further action was taken against Malt.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Holly Evans, welcomed the verdict. She said: “Lauren needlessly lost her life at the hands of her father, the very person who should protect her and keep her safe. In a fit of rage, Malt chose a course of action that night which would have fatal consequences for Lauren and life changing ones for the rest of their family. We’re pleased with this verdict and hope Malt will take responsibility for his actions. Our thoughts remain with Lauren’s family and friends.”

Malt will be sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on Friday 26 August.