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The occupants of a car which crashed in Cardiff killing three people had been drinking and inhaling nitrous oxide, a friend told police.

Driver Rafel Jeanne, 24, and passengers Darcy Ross and Eve Smith, both 21, died in the crash on 4 March.

An initial inquest was told the three were declared dead at the scene of the crash.

The hearing was adjourned pending the outcome of further histology and toxicology tests.

Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were both injured but survived.

Shane Loughlin, Sophie Russon
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Shane Loughlin and Sophie Russon survived the crash

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Tributes were laid and a vigil was held at the crash site

The accident happened near the St Mellons area of Cardiff on the A48(M).

A Volkswagon Tiguan veered off a slip road approaching a roundabout at 2.03am and came to rest in some trees.

The five were not discovered until Monday 6 March, around 46 hours after the crash took place.

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March: Vigil held for Cardiff car crash victims

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is continuing to investigate the length of time taken by Gwent Police and South Wales Police to find the group.

Court papers seen by Sky News reveal the group had been drinking alcohol and inhaling nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, prior to the collision.

The scene in the St Mellons area of Cardiff where three people who disappeared on a night out have died in a road traffic accident. Two others who had also been reported missing have been transported to hospital with serious injuries. Sophie Russon, 20, Eve Smith, 21, and Darcy Ross, 21, who had made the trip from Porthcawl, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Shane Loughlin, 32, both from Cardiff, had last been seen in the city in the early hours of Saturday. Picture date: Monday March 6, 2023.
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The scene near the St Mellons area of Cardiff

A map showing the locations the group were know to have visited before the crash

The group had been on a night out at The Muffler social club in Newport on the evening of 3 March, before travelling just under 40 miles (64km) to the Trecco Bay Caravan Park in Porthcawl.

They were last seen at about 2am in the Pentwyn area of Cardiff, where a sixth member of the group was dropped off.

The details emerged at the hearing of Joel Lia at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court, which was held behind closed doors.

Lia, 28, was the sixth member of the group who had been driving the vehicle an hour before the crash.

Read more:
How search for vehicle unfolded
Man who found car was ‘best friends’ with victim

He was charged with driving without a licence or insurance in Porthcawl.

According to the court document: “All other persons in the vehicle were intoxicated, by Joel’s admission, as they had been drinking alcohol and inhaling nitrous oxide throughout the course of the evening.”

Lia’s case is being handled under a system called the single justice procedure where magistrates deal with non-custodial criminal prosecutions in private.

He pleaded guilty to both charges and the case was adjourned until 24 August.

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Labour MP Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Police said a man in his 60s had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.

Sky News has contacted Mr Norris for comment.

Mr Norris, 65, defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons and has stepped down from his role as chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.

“A man, aged in his 60s, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

Mr Norris first entered Parliament when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and served as the Wansdyke MP until 2010.

He was an assistant whip under Mr Blair and served as a junior minister under Gordon Brown.

Mr Norris has also been West of England mayor since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May’s local elections.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to end sports such as fox hunting and game bird shooting, confirmed he had stepped down from his role.

“The charity cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” a statement said.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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