The driver inhaled nitrous oxide from a balloon. Photo / Thames Valley Police
The driver inhaled nitrous oxide from a balloon. Photo / Thames Valley Police
A 19-year-old driver who killed three teenage passengers in the UK after inhaling nitrous oxide and travelling at more than 160km/h has been jailed for nine years and four months.
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He was driving a BMW 3 Series when the vehicle hit roadside furniture and a tree, killing three passengers, on the A415 in Marcham last year.
After admitting three counts of death by dangerous driving, Johnson was sentenced to nine years and four months at Oxford Crown Court.
At a hearing at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday, Neil Moore, prosecuting, showed the court several short video clips recovered from the phones of those who had been travelling in the car in which a balloon, typically used to inhale the gas, could be seen “in the mouth of the defendant”, he said.
Moore said: “It’s quite clear on the evidence that the defendant had been taking nitrous oxide from the canister with the assistance of a balloon to inhale it for some considerable time before the collision.”
One canister of nitrous oxide was found in the driver’s footwell and a further eight were found in the boot of the car, the court heard.
Elliot Pullen, 17, Ethan Goddard, 18, and Daniel Hancock, 18, were killed in the crash on June 20, 2023.
Photo / Thames Valley Police
The force of the collision “ripped the roof off” the car. All three victims suffered “unsurvivable injuries” and were pronounced dead at the scene, the court heard.
Johnson’s facial disfiguration as a result of the crash will be a “permanent reminder” to himself and others that he killed his friends, Judge Emma Nott said as she passed sentence.
The judge listed some of the injuries suffered by Johnson as she jailed the 19-year-old, including traumatic brain injuries, a collapsed lung, cracked ribs, permanent loss of sight in one eye and “visible facial disfiguration”.
She also said Johnson had been in an induced coma after the crash and that he suffers from amnesia, “moderately severe” depression and anxiety.
“The severity of your brain injuries mean you have no memory of that night,” the judge told him.
All three victims suffered ‘unsurvivable injuries’ and were pronounced dead at the scene. From left Daniel Hancock, Elliot Pullen and Ethan Goddard.
A forensic investigation found that, at the time of the crash, the car was travelling at up to 87mph (140km/h) along the stretch of road where the speed limit was 30mph (48km/h), and no mechanical defects, road or weather conditions contributed to the accident, the prosecution said.
Possession and sale of nitrous oxide, also known as “laughing gas”, for recreational purposes was made illegal last year.
Moore told the court its effects include “disorientation” and “general impairment”.
An expert who provided evidence concluded that “taking the drug is not compatible with driving a car safely and the concurrent use while driving is very dangerous due to the rapid onset of the effects”.
Addressing Johnson, the judge said his actions were “all for teenage thrills” and as a result “your three passengers will never see beyond their teenage years and you move out of yours significantly and permanently disabled”.
After the sentencing, Bill Khindey, a lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Thomas Johnson’s disregard for the safety of others that night was clear.
“His dangerous driving had devastating consequences – tragically cutting short the lives of three young men.
“This is a responsibility he must reflect on as he serves his time in prison.
“We recognise that no sentence can alleviate the pain suffered by the families of Elliot, Ethan and Daniel, and our thoughts remain with them.”
Johnson was also disqualified from driving for 11 years and 11 weeks.
After the hearing, Detective Sergeant Tony Jenkins, the senior investigating officer, said: “This was without a doubt one of the most catastrophic and tragic collisions I have ever investigated.
“The speeds at which Johnson was driving were staggering, particularly given the road he was driving on.”
Members of the victims’ families were tearful as they read out impact statements to the court before the sentencing.
Elliot’s sister said the day her brother died, “everything stopped” and the grief of losing “my only sibling and life-long friend” would “stick with me forever”.
Goddard’s mother told the court her son was studying to be an engineer and was waiting to hear back from a job interview when he died.
Photo / Thames Valley Police
She sobbed as she said: “Ethan has left a massive hole in our lives that can never be filled, and we miss him every single day.”
Hancock’s father said his statement could “never convey the horror, trauma and devastation” that the defendant’s actions had caused.
