Laughing gas 100 mph crash driver jailed for killing friends

A driver who was filmed inhaling laughing gas behind the wheel before a high-speed crash has been jailed for killing three teenage friends.

Thomas Johnson was traveling at 100mph before his car crashed into a tree in the Oxfordshire village of Marcham, killing passengers Ethan Goddard, Daniel Hancock, both 18, and Elliott Pullen, 17. , were killed.

Johnson, 19, was jailed for nine years and four months after pleading guilty at Oxford Crown Court to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

The victims’ families described Johnson as a “smart teenage boy” who was showing off and urged others to “not be that driver who shows such disregard for the lives of his friends”.

Mr Hancock’s family also urged people not to be “passengers of such a driver”.

“Please learn from this, an opportunity that boys were not blessed with,” he said.

Mr Goddard’s father, Robert, said: “He ruined everybody’s life, he took three, ruined his life, ruined us, just for show.”

Elliott Pullen’s sister, Mia, 20, added: “I know he’s just a boy, I know he’s not a terrible person but he’s made some terrible decisions and I really hope he gets his way. He will feel guilty for what he did.

“It’s his fault, he did it, he killed them and I hope that stays with him forever.”

Her parents, Kate and Giles Pullen, said they were “inundated with a world of grief, sadness and pain that we still cannot begin to process”.

He added that Elliott’s injuries were so severe that he could not see him.

“As his parents, we feel a physical longing and pain that we never got to hold Elliott and say goodbye,” she said.

Johnson had held his license for less than a year when he was speeding along the A415 towards Abingdon just after midnight on June 20, 2023.

When he entered a 30 mph (48 km/h) zone, he lost control of the vehicle going into a bend, the car skidded and struck a lamp post before crashing into a large tree, detectives said.

All three passengers died on the spot. Johnson suffered life-threatening injuries and spent several months in the hospital.

The two sisters told police they heard a car skidding nearby shortly before the silver BMW overtook them.

Moments later, as they entered Marcham village, they discovered the wreckage and called 999.

Police said mobile phone data recovered from the scene showed the car reached a top speed of 97mph (156km/h) 30 seconds before the crash.

Moments before the collision, three videos recorded by the youth show the driver and some passengers speeding away with balloons in their mouths.

The final video, taken within a minute of the crash, shows the car speeding away from a red light while the driver appears to be trying to swerve.

A crash scene investigator concluded that Johnson was driving aggressively and had disabled the car’s dynamic stability control and traction control systems.

Ethan Goddard was the only one wearing a seat belt in the car.

Judge Emma Knott said Johnson’s actions were all “for teenage thrills” but as a result “the three passengers will never see beyond their teenage years and you have been significantly and permanently disabled”.

Det Sergeant Tony Jenkins, of Thames Valley Police, said: “It’s sad, I have a son of the same age and you just hope they don’t put themselves in a position of danger, you hope they don’t do it unnecessarily. won’t drive, you hope they don’t use any drugs, it’s a really sad case.”

Johnson was voluntarily interviewed by police in November 2023.

During the interview, he said he could not remember the accident or the events that followed.

He said he did not speed and would not use nitrous oxide, but did not dispute that he was the driver at the time of the accident.

Melanie Goddard, Ethan’s mother, said the accident had left a “huge hole” and the loss had affected her entire family.

Daniel’s father, Alex Hancock, said Johnson’s “reckless, dangerous behaviour” was “an accident waiting to happen”.

“It’s very painful, it’s been 18 months now and it never leaves you,” he added.

Mia Pullen and her aunt, Laura Oakes, used to run one. The half marathon is to raise money for the charity Roadpeace, which supports accident victims and bereaved families.

He said:[Elliot’s] The room isn’t his room anymore, he’s not there it’s just a very empty feeling, it doesn’t feel like a family anymore it’s so hard.

“In a split second this could be your reality so don’t drive dangerously and don’t take drugs while driving because it’s never worth that outcome.”

Kate and Giles Pullen said they were committed to joining Forget-me-not Families Uniting, which, together with Brake, Road Peace and the Road Victims Trust, campaigned for graduate driving licensing for young novice drivers. is

He said: “There is overwhelming evidence that these licenses will save lives.

“Lives like Elliott, Ethan and Daniel, who were killed by a young, inexperienced, reckless driver.”

Johnson was sentenced to nine years and four months for each death – to run concurrently – and disqualified from driving for 11 years and 11 weeks.