Driver Thomas Johnson jailed for killing three teenage passengers after inhaling laughing gas at the wheel
A driver who inhaled laughing gas at the wheel has been jailed for nine years and four months after he admitted killing his three teenage passengers in a high-speed crash.
Thomas Johnson, 19, had admitted to taking nitrous oxide through balloons while driving and exceeding speeds of more than 100mph on a road with a speed limit of 30mph.
He pleaded guilty to causing the deaths earlier on Wednesday at Oxford Crown Court.
Addressing Johnson, Judge Emma Nott said his actions were “all for teenage thrills” and he would be “forever defined” by his “teenage mistakes”.
Thomas Johnson
Daniel Hancock, 18, Ethan Goddard, 18, and Elliot Pullen, 17, died in the crash in Marcham, Oxfordshire, in June last year.
Their families have spoken of being “united by grief” by the tragedy and hope the sentence “will serve as a deterrent” to others.
Mobile phone video footage taken inside the BMW 3 series, moments before it crashed, showed the boys laughing and passing nitrous oxide canisters to the front while Johnson had a balloon to his face.
Daniel Hancock
Ethan Goddard
Elliot Pullen
The tyres can be heard screeching as the vehicle drifts around a corner at high speed.
Thames Valley Police also released an ANPR photo of the driver and front passenger with balloons to their mouths.
CCTV footage shows the vehicle overtaking another car at more than 100mph. Police say the vehicle’s electronic stability control had been deliberately switched off.
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This image from before the crash shows the driver and front passenger with balloons
The wreckage of the BMW 3 series after the crash. Pic: Thames Valley Police/PA
Johnson, who sustained life-threatening injuries in the crash, says he does not remember what happened.
In a police interview afterwards, he revealed he was aware of the risks.
Asked if he had ever taken nitrous oxide, Johnson responded: “No, not this year. I remember doing it once last year with a group of friends before I could even drive but I don’t have any recollection after that.”
Asked if he remembered what the effect of it was, Johnson replied: “It made my head feel dizzy.”
Families hope sentence is ‘deterrent’
Commenting on the case, a joint family statement said: “No amount of imprisonment will bring our sons back home and we take little comfort in the sentencing of someone else’s son.
“However, we do hope that this will serve as a deterrent to other drivers, especially young men.
“If just one person adjusts their attitude to driving, or one person thinks twice about being a passenger along for the ride then there is hope that something good can come out of this tragedy.”
‘Permanent living nightmare’
Elliot Pullen’s parents, Kate and Giles, and his sister Mia issued a separate statement describing their sense of loss and being “united by grief” in what was a “permanent living nightmare”. They said they had been “sucked into a world of grief, sadness and pain”.
Elliot Pullen’s family said they were in a ‘permanent living nightmare’. Pic: Family handout
The parents of Ethan Goddard paid tribute, writing that he “was a fun, loving, kind, generous, caring young lad, always thinking of others, and getting the most out of life”.
They added he “was loved so very much and made his family so proud”.
Ethan Goddard was ‘a fun, loving, kind, generous, caring young lad’. Pic: Family handout
Meanwhile, Daniel Hancock’s family said in a statement he “was truly loved and will always be missed. He was caring, generous and selfless.”
And they issued a warning to other young drivers.
Daniel Hancock died in a ‘completely avoidable crash’. Pic: Family handout
“Daniel died three miles from home in a completely avoidable crash. Please don’t be that driver who shows such disregard for their friends’ lives.”
Detective Sergeant Tony Jenkins, of Thames Valley Police’s serious collisions investigative unit, explained that nitrous oxide impairs a driver’s ability to make decisions.
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He warned about the risks of driving while under the influence, especially around Christmas time, when people are in a particularly celebratory mood.
“Any impairment while driving is inherently dangerous. It is reckless,” he told Sky News.
“In this case, the use of nitrous oxide took place over a number of hours and even up to 30 seconds before the crash consumption was taking place.”
The recreational use of nitrous oxide was banned by the government months after Johnson’s car crash but drug driving has long been illegal.
Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
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Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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