A reckless driver inhaling laughing gas caused a fatal cyclist collision and received over ten years, while a separate high‑speed chase driver avoided jail.
In September 2023 a tragic collision unfolded on a quiet London street when a 27-year-old woman, behind the wheel of an Audi, struck a cyclist travelling at a modest speed. The driver had been inhaling nitrous oxide – commonly known as laughing gas – at the time of the incident.
The cyclist, Harry Webb, a passionate drummer studying at the London College of Contemporary Music, suffered severe brain trauma and died days later in hospital. The court later awarded him a posthumous master’s degree in recognition of his academic achievements.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court the judge delivered a severe sentence: ten years and nine months of imprisonment and a ten-year driving disqualification. The verdict reflected the combination of excessive speed – 53 mph in a 20 mph zone – the influence of a class-C drug and the driver’s decision to flee the scene, leaving the victim seriously injured on the pavement.
Details of the hit-and-run case
The prosecution presented evidence that the Audi driver, Tiffany Treanor-Johnson, was travelling more than double the permitted limit when she collided with Webb at the junction of Kenworthy Road and Hassett Road in Hackney. After the impact she mounted the sidewalk, struck a parked car, and then accelerated away, abandoning Webb who was still on the road calling his father. A passer-by recovered Webb’s mobile phone, enabling his family to learn of the crash before the emergency services arrived.
Witnesses, including the driver of the vehicle hit after Webb, described how they attempted to intervene. Brenton Henry, behind the wheel of a red Citroën, made eye contact with Treanor-Johnson and even retrieved her car keys in an effort to prevent her escape. Despite these attempts, the accused left the scene with a passenger who removed a bag containing nitrous-oxide balloons from the back seat. Police later discovered remnants of those balloons in the Audi, confirming the drug-related impairment claim.
High-speed police chase on the M56
In a separate incident, another Audi driver, Luke Plumley, engaged in a reckless pursuit on the M56 near Chester on 29 June of the previous year. Dash-cam footage released by Cheshire Police captured Plumley’s SQ2 accelerating to 165 mph, weaving through traffic and even using the hard shoulder in an attempt to evade officers. The pursuit lasted several minutes before police managed to slow the vehicle as traffic density increased.
At Chester Crown Court Judge Natalie Cuddy handed down a suspended custodial sentence – ten months imprisonment suspended for a year – and a two-year driving ban. The judge highlighted the “good fortune” that no one was injured, noting that an impact at those speeds would likely have been fatal. Plumley’s defence argued that a passenger had encouraged the dangerous driving, and the judge considered his caring responsibilities for a partner and children with additional needs when determining the final penalty.
Legal outcomes and broader implications
Both cases underscore the judiciary’s stance on dangerous driving in England. In Treanor-Johnson’s situation, the combination of drug use, extreme speed and failure to stop resulted in a lengthy custodial term and a long-term driving ban, reflecting the severe harm caused. Conversely, Plumley’s case, while involving a dramatically higher speed, concluded with a suspended sentence, illustrating how courts may weigh factors such as lack of physical injury and personal circumstances.
Victims’ families voiced profound grief. Harry Webb’s mother described losing her son as “the greatest honour” turned into a daily nightmare, while his father recounted the haunting sound of emergency sirens. The court also displayed a memorial “ghost bike” at the collision site, a painted bicycle erected to honor cyclists who have died on the road.
