100mph laughing gas 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 travelling at speeds of up to 100mph before his car hit a tree in the village of Marcham, Oxfordshire, killing passengers Ethan Goddard, Daniel Hancock, both 18, and Elliot Pullen, 17.

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

The victims' families called Johnson a "cocky teenage boy" who was showing off and urged others "not to be that driver who shows such disregard for their friends' lives".

Mr Hancock's family also begged people not to be "a passenger of such a driver".

"Please learn from this, an opportunity that the boys were not fortunate enough to be given," they said.

Mr Goddard's father, Robert, said: "He's ruined everyone's life, he's taken three, ruined his own life, devastated ours, just for showing off."

Elliot Pullen's sister, Mia, 20, added: "I know he's just a cocky teenage boy, I know he's not an awful person but he made some awful decisions and I really hope that he feels guilty for what he's done.

"This is his fault, he's done this, he's killed them and I hope it stays with him forever."

His parents, Kate and Giles Pullen, they said they had been "sucked into a world of grief, sadness and pain that we still cannot begin to process".

They added that Elliot had suffered such significant injuries they were not able to see him.

"As his parents, we feel a physical longing and pain that we never got to hold Elliot and say our goodbyes," they said.

Johnson had held his licence for less than a year when he was driving his BMW 3 Series at speed along the A415 towards Abingdon just after midnight on 20 June 2023.

Detectives said as he entered a 30mph (48km/h) zone, he lost control of the vehicle going into a bend, the car skidded and hit a lamp-post before hitting a large tree.

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

Two sisters told police they had heard a car skidding or drifting nearby shortly before they were overtaken by a silver BMW.

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

Police said data from a mobile phone recovered from the scene suggests that in the 30 seconds before the crash, the car reached a peak speed of 97mph (156km/h).

Three videos recorded by the young men, moments before the collision, show the driver and some of the passengers with inflated balloons in their mouths and the vehicle being driven at excessive speed.

The final video, taken within a minute of the crash, shows the car accelerating away from a red light while the driver appears to be attempting to skid the vehicle.

A crash scene investigator concluded Johnson had been driving aggressively and had deactivated the car's dynamic stability control and traction control systems.

Ethan Goddard was the only one in the vehicle wearing a seatbelt.

Judge Emma Nott said Johnson's actions were "all for teenage thrills" but as a result "three passengers will never see beyond their teenage years and you move out of yours significantly and permanently disabled".

Det Sgt Tony Jenkins, of Thames Valley Police, said: "It's tragic, I've got a son the same age and you just hope that they don't put themself into positions of vulnerability, you hope they don't drive excessively, you hope they don't use any drugs, it really is a tragic case."

Johnson was interviewed by police voluntarily in November 2023.

During the interview he said he could not remember the crash or events leading up to it.

He said he did not drive fast and would not use nitrous oxide, however, he did not dispute that he was the driver at the time of the crash.

Melanie Goddard, Ethan's mother, said the crash had left a "massive hole" and the loss had affected their whole family.

Daniel's father, Alex Hancock, said Johnson's "reckless, dangerous behaviour" had been "an accident waiting to happen".

"It's very very painful, it's 18 months on now and it never leaves you," he added.

Mia Pullen and her aunt, Laura Oakes, previously ran a half marathon to raise money for charity Roadpeace, which supports crash victims and bereaved families.

She said: "[Elliot's] room's not his room anymore, he's not there it's just a very empty feeling, it doesn't feel like a family anymore it's very difficult.

"In a split second this could be your reality so don't drive dangerously and don't consume drugs while driving because it's never worth it for this outcome."

Kate and Giles Pullen said they were determined to join Forget-me-not Families Uniting, which campaigns alongside Brake, RoadPeace and the Road Victims Trust, for graduated driving licensing for young novice drivers.

They said: "There is overwhelming evidence that these licences will save lives.

"Lives, like Elliot's, Ethan's and Daniel's, who were killed at the hands of a young, inexperienced, reckless driver."

Johnson was handed sentences of nine years and four months for each death - to run concurrently - and disqualified from driving for 11 years and 11 weeks.

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