Hippy crack teen jailed for causing deaths of three teenage friends | UK | News

A “cocky” boy racer who killed three teenage friends in a horror crash whilst racing at over 100mph whilst taking “hippy crack” from a pink balloon, has been jailed for nine years and four months.

Thomas Johnson, 19, was filmed by his victims inhaling nitrous oxide whilst behind the wheel of a powerful BMW 3 series when he lost control of the car on a bend and smashed into a tree killing all three passengers.

Seconds earlier Johnson had overtaken a car at over 100mph on the 30mph A415 in Marcham, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

That car’s driver was the first to arrive at the crash scene where Elliot Pullen, 17, Ethan Goddard, 18 and Daniel Hancock, 18, lay fatally injured in the wreckage.

Mr Goddard’s devastated 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.”

Her parents said they had been “sucked into a world of grief, sadness and pain that we still cannot begin to process”.

Mr Hancock’s family meanwhile begged people not to be a “passenger of such a driver”, adding: “Please learn from this, an opportunity that the boys were not fortunate enough to be given.”

Johnson pleaded guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving and as he was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court was told by Judge Emma Nott 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”.

The judge said that at time of the crash he was “highly impaired by the consumption of drugs” and he had “lost control” of the vehicle in “a prolonged, persistent and deliberate course of dangerous driving”.

She listed some of the injuries suffered by Johnson 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, depression and anxiety but his brain injuries means he has no memory of the crash.

However the judge told Johnson his facial disfiguration would be a “permanent reminder” to himself and others that he killed his friends

Footage filmed on a mobile phone inside the car moments before the crash showed the group laughing and passing nitrous oxide canisters to the front.

Johnson – who survived despite suffering serious injuries – could be seen with a balloon to his face, while the vehicle’s tyres could be heard screeching as it drifted around a corner.

The driver and front passenger were also pictured with balloons to their mouths in an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) photo released by Thames Valley Police

A forensic investigation found at the time of the crash the car was travelling at up to 87mph but had exceeded 100mph shortly before Johnson lost control.

Johnson claims to not remember what happened, and was asked in a police interview after the crash whether he had ever taken nitrous oxide.

He replied: “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 its effect, he said: “It made my head feel dizzy.”

At Oxford Crown Court today, prosecutor Neil Moore 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.

Mr 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.

The force of the collision ‘ripped the roof off’ the car and all three victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Bill Khindey 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, of Shrivenham, near Swindon, was also disqualified from driving for 11 years and 11 weeks.

Senior investigating officer Detective Sergeant Tony Jenkins 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.”

He added: “Ethan, Elliot and Daniel stood no chance. They were simply enjoying a night out, and their lives were needlessly and tragically cut short by Johnson’s actions.

“Johnson alone was responsible for these tragic deaths. He will have to live with the consequences of his decisions that night for the rest of his life.”