Driver who inhaled nitrous oxide at 100mph imprisoned for fatal crash involving friends

A motorist captured on video consuming nitrous oxide while operating a vehicle prior to a rapid collision has received a prison sentence for causing the deaths of three adolescent companions. Thomas Johnson was driving at velocities reaching 100mph when his vehicle collided with a tree in Marcham, Oxfordshire, resulting in the fatalities of passengers Ethan Goddard, 18, Daniel Hancock, 18, and Elliot Pullen, 17. The 19-year-old Johnson received a sentence of nine years and four months in prison at Oxford Crown Court, having admitted guilt to three charges of causing death by dangerous driving. Relatives of the victims described Johnson as a “cocky teenage boy” who was displaying bravado and implored others “not to be that driver who shows such disregard for their friends’ lives”. Mr. Hancock’s family additionally pleaded with individuals not to be “a passenger of such a driver,” stating, “Please learn from this, an opportunity that the boys were not fortunate enough to be given.” Robert Goddard, Ethan’s father, commented: “He’s ruined everyone’s life, he’s taken three, ruined his own life, devastated ours, just for showing off.” Mia Pullen, Elliot’s 20-year-old sister, further stated: “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.” She continued: “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, expressed that they had been “sucked into a world of grief, sadness and pain that we still cannot begin to process.” They also mentioned that Elliot sustained injuries so severe that they were unable to view him. “As his parents, we feel a physical longing and pain that we never got to hold Elliot and say our goodbyes,” they communicated. Johnson possessed his driving licence for under a year when he operated his BMW 3 Series at high velocity on the A415 in the direction of Abingdon shortly after midnight on 20 June 2023. Investigators reported that upon entering a 30mph (48km/h) zone, he lost command of the automobile while navigating a bend; the car then skidded, struck a lamp-post, and subsequently collided with a substantial tree. All three occupants perished at the site of the incident. Johnson sustained critical injuries and remained hospitalized for multiple months. Two siblings informed law enforcement that they had heard a vehicle skidding or drifting in the vicinity just before a silver BMW passed them. Shortly thereafter, upon entering Marcham village, they found the crash site and contacted 999. Law enforcement indicated that information from a mobile phone retrieved at the location suggests the vehicle attained a maximum speed of 97mph (156km/h) in the 30 seconds preceding the collision. Three video recordings made by the young individuals, taken moments before the impact, depict the driver and certain passengers with inflated balloons in their mouths, and the car being operated at an unsafe velocity. The last video, captured within a minute of the incident, illustrates the car accelerating from a red traffic light, with the driver seemingly trying to cause the vehicle to skid. An investigator at the crash scene determined that Johnson had been driving recklessly and had disabled the car’s dynamic stability control and traction control systems. Ethan Goddard was the sole occupant of the vehicle who was wearing a seatbelt. Judge Emma Nott stated that Johnson’s conduct was “all for teenage thrills,” but consequently, “three passengers will never see beyond their teenage years and you move out of yours significantly and permanently disabled.” Detective Sergeant Tony Jenkins of Thames Valley Police remarked: “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 underwent a voluntary police interview in November 2023. During this interview, he claimed no recollection of the collision or the preceding events. He asserted that he did not drive quickly and would not consume nitrous oxide; however, he did not contest being the operator of the vehicle at the moment of the crash. Melanie Goddard, Ethan’s mother, stated that the collision had created a “massive hole” and that the bereavement had impacted their entire family. Alex Hancock, Daniel’s father, commented that Johnson’s “reckless, dangerous behaviour” constituted “an accident waiting to happen.” He further remarked: “It’s very very painful, it’s 18 months on now and it never leaves you.” Mia Pullen and her aunt, Laura Oakes, had previously completed a half marathon to collect funds for the charity Roadpeace, which offers assistance to crash victims and grieving families. She conveyed: “[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.” She added: “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 declared their resolve to become part of Forget-me-not Families Uniting, an organization that advocates, in conjunction with Brake, RoadPeace, and the Road Victims Trust, for graduated driving licensing for inexperienced young drivers. They asserted: “There is overwhelming evidence that these licences will save lives.” They continued: “Lives, like Elliot’s, Ethan’s and Daniel’s, who were killed at the hands of a young, inexperienced, reckless driver.” Johnson received concurrent sentences of nine years and four months for each fatality and was prohibited from driving for a period of 11 years and 11 weeks.