Driver and passenger jailed following fatal 100mph crash after inhaling nitrous oxide
Two men have been jailed after a fatal crash in Manchester while they were inhaling nitrous oxide and driving at speeds in excess of 100mph.
The incident resulted in the death of 50-year-old Sylvester Abayomi on his way to work.
Uways Hussain, 20, was behind the wheel of a VW Golf GTI belonging to his friend Usmon Mahmood, 23, when he ran a red light and crashed into Mr Abayomi’s car. Manchester Crown Court heard on Friday that the collision happened at the junction of Green End Road and Kingsway at 4.30am on March 9.
Mr Abayomi’s partner, Denise Doyle, made a moving victim impact statement to the court.
“Sylvester was on his way to work. He is an ordinary, hard-working man. He should have returned home to me safely that day. Because of your actions, he never did,” she said. Addressing the defendants directly, he added: “You left Sylv to die alone. You did not show her an ounce of compassion or humanity.”
Hüseyin, who previously confessed his crime, was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in prison. He admitted causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving without insurance and not providing an example.
Mahmood, who initially claimed he had tried to warn Hussein about his driving before pleading guilty, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison for aiding and abetting death by dangerous driving and aiding and abetting death by driving without insurance.
Judge Nicholas Dean KC condemned his actions, stating: “This was deliberate and increasingly extremely dangerous conduct that continued over a long period of time.”
He described the CCTV footage and video footage shown in court as “appalling” and noted: “You drove at extreme speeds, apparently reaching almost 140mph, on roads that are generally subject to a 30mph speed limit, far exceeding any safe or legal limit.”
The court heard both men used mobile phones, recorded videos and inhaled nitrous oxide during their journey. In the videos taken by the defendants hours before the accident, Hüseyin was seen driving at a speed of over 160 kilometers per hour with one hand on the steering wheel.
Prosecutor Rachel Shenton emphasized that Mahmood, who was sitting in the front seat, heard “yelps of encouragement” from time to time. Judge Dean concluded it was “deliberate risk-taking, apparently for the thrill of it”.
Following the crash, the Apple Watch Hussain wore automatically dialed 999 after detecting the collision. It was recorded that the two, unaware of the call, discussed calling Uber to leave the scene and report the car as stolen.
Judge Dean described the transcript of this interview as “chilling” and noted that it “did not reveal shock or concern for the victim”. Ms Shenton confirmed the men fled the scene and eluded officers before being arrested.
Neil Ronan, defending Hussain, said his client was a law student working full-time at the airport and had a previous conviction for drug use.
Clare Ashcroft, representing Mahmood, said he was about to start an apprenticeship with Network Rail and was “starting to understand the impact of his behaviour”. “In my view he is remorseful.”
