Laughing gas 100mph crash driver admits killing friends
A driver who was filmed inhaling laughing gas before a 100mph (160km/h) crash has admitted killing three teenage friends.
Thomas Johnson was speeding when he crashed into a tree in the Oxfordshire village of Marcham, killing his passengers Ethan Goddard and Daniel Hancock, 18 Hancock and 17-year-old Elliot Pullen.
Johnson, 19, admitted three counts of dangerous driving causing death and is currently being sentenced at Oxford Crown Court.
The victim’s family described him as a “arrogant teenage boy” who was showing off and urged others to “not be that driver who has such disregard for the lives of his friends”.
Thames Valley PoliceMr Hancock’s family also pleaded with people not to become “passengers on such a driver”.
They said: “Please learn from this, this is an opportunity that boys are not lucky enough to get.”
Mr Goddard’s father Robert said: “He ruined everyone’s life, he took three people’s lives, ruined his own life and ruined our lives just to show off.”
Elliot Pullen’s sister Mia, 20, added: “I know he’s just an arrogant teenage boy and I know he’s not a terrible person but he made Made some bad decisions and I really hope he feels guilty for what he did.
“It’s his fault that he did this, that he killed them, and I hope this stays with him forever.”
Johnson drove his BMW 3 Series along the A415 towards Abingdon just after midnight on June 20, 2023, having held his driving license for less than a year.
Detectives said he lost control of the vehicle as he entered a curve as he entered a 30 mph (48 kph) zone, and the car skidded and hit a light pole before hitting a large tree.
All three passengers died on the spot. Johnson suffered serious, life-threatening injuries and spent several months in the hospital.
The sisters told police they heard a car skidding or drifting nearby shortly before being overtaken by a silver BMW.
Shortly afterwards, as they entered the village of Markham, they discovered the wreckage and called 999.
Police said cell phone data recovered from the scene showed the car’s top speed reached 97 mph 30 seconds before the crash.
Three videos recorded by the young man before the collision show the driver and some passengers holding inflated balloons in their mouths and the vehicle speeding.
The final video, taken within a minute of the crash, shows the car accelerating away from a red light and the driver appearing to try to skid the vehicle.
Accident scene investigators concluded Johnson was driving aggressively and turned off the car’s dynamic stability control and traction control systems.
Ethan Goddard was the only person in the car wearing a seat belt.
Detective Constable Tony Jenkins of Thames Valley Police said: “It’s tragic, I have a son the same age and you just hope they don’t put themselves in a vulnerable position, you hope they don’t overdrive, you hope they don’t use any drugs, This is indeed a tragic case.”
