Driver Jailed Over 10 Years for Fatal Hit-and-Run While Using Laughing Gas

A driver who was speeding at 53 mph in a 20 mph zone while inhaling nitrous oxide before killing a music student in a hit-and-run has been sentenced to over ten years in prison.

Tiffany Treanor-Johnson, 27, was driving more than double the speed limit when she struck cyclist Harry Webb in Hackney, east London, in September 2023. She then mounted the pavement, crashed into another car, and left Mr. Webb seriously injured at the roadside. Mr. Webb, a 27-year-old student at the London College of Contemporary Music (LCCM), died days later in hospital from severe brain trauma. He has since been posthumously awarded his master's degree.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard on Friday that Treanor-Johnson had been inhaling nitrous oxide, a Class C drug, before the collision. Judge Rosa Dean sentenced Treanor-Johnson to ten years and nine months in prison and disqualified her from driving for ten years. Treanor-Johnson appeared visibly upset as the sentence was delivered.

Mr. Webb, described as an "intelligent and wonderfully caring" individual, was speaking to his father on the phone at the time of the crash. He had just moved into his new accommodation that day to begin his second year at LCCM. A member of the public found Mr. Webb's phone on the ground and informed his father of the incident. Mr. Webb was on his way to an evening swim when he was killed.

In a victim impact statement, Mr. Webb's mother, Pat, told the court that her life ended on September 10, 2023, the day he died. "Watching someone you love die is an image you'll never forget," she said. "I cannot bear waking up without him every day. We have no future left, each day is painful."

Mr. Webb's father, Mike, stated that he felt "so helpless" being miles away when the collision occurred, and that the sound of emergency sirens "will always haunt me." He added, "We both miss Harry constantly."

Mr. Webb held a mathematics and philosophy degree from Bristol University and a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Amsterdam. A friend, George, described Mr. Webb as "the most fun, caring, intelligent and wonderfully caring person you could ever meet."

Treanor-Johnson's Audi collided with a red Citroen after hitting Mr. Webb. The driver of the Citroen, Brenton Henry, testified that he made eye contact with Treanor-Johnson and attempted to stop her from leaving the scene by pulling forward. He then took her car keys. One of the passengers in Treanor-Johnson's car removed a bag from the vehicle as she exited and left the scene. Police arrived and arrested Treanor-Johnson, finding fragments of balloons used for inhaling laughing gas in her car.

Mitigating for Treanor-Johnson, Stephanie Panchkowry argued that her client was in a state of shock and not deliberately evading responsibility. However, the judge stated, "You are solely to blame for the collision. I am sure that you were probably impaired due to taking balloons. We must all hope that you truly are sorry."

Treanor-Johnson had initially denied causing death by dangerous driving but changed her plea to guilty in April.

Outside court, Mr. Webb's father said, "Nobody should be killed cycling within a 20mph area in London, it is totally unacceptable." He called for road crime to be taken more seriously, emphasizing that driving is a privilege that should result in a lifetime ban if abused. Mr. Webb's mother expressed relief at the sentence, stating, "I'm glad she got what she got."

A ghost bike memorial was installed at the junction where Mr. Webb was fatally injured, accompanied by his photograph.