At least five people have been killed in Greater Manchester over the past four years by drivers who had been inhaling nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or 'noz.' The cheap, quick high—typically inhaled from a balloon—produces a 30-second euphoria but has led to devastating consequences when users get behind the wheel.
No Official Figures but a Clear Problem
There are no official statistics for fatal crashes caused by drivers under the influence of laughing gas, partly because the chemical leaves the body rapidly after use. However, a series of court cases in Greater Manchester highlights the deadly toll. In the latest case, 23-year-old Daud Nidhal Mohammed from Salford was seen inhaling the gas at a petrol station moments before he struck physicist Sam Johnston, 28, with his black Audi A5 on July 5, 2024. Mr Johnston, a University of Manchester masters graduate returning from a general election party, was hit at the junction of Trinity Way and Egerton Street and then run over by a second, blameless taxi driver. He died at the scene despite resuscitation attempts. Mohammed drove off but later handed himself in. Released on bail, he was caught again on June 20, 2025, fleeing a stolen VW Tiago in a 60mph police chase before crashing into a wall; 24 canisters of nitrous oxide were found in the car. He was jailed for five years and three months after admitting causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while uninsured, and allowing himself to be in a stolen vehicle.
Uways Hussain and Usmon Mahmood: 139mph and a Fatal Crash
Uways Hussain, 20, and Usmon Mahmood, 23, filmed themselves inhaling nitrous oxide from balloons while driving at speeds up to 139mph. On March 9 this year, Hussain drove Mahmood's VW Golf GTI through a red light and smashed into Sylvester Abayomi's Volvo S40 in Burnage. Mr Abayomi, 50, was on his way to work and suffered catastrophic chest injuries, dying later that morning. After the crash, an Apple watch worn by Hussain automatically called 999. Unaware of the call, the pair discussed reporting the car as stolen, argued over who would claim to be the driver, and planned to remove DNA and order an Uber. They fled and were found by police hiding in gardens surrounded by nitrous oxide canisters. Hussain was jailed for 11 years and eight months for causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while uninsured, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, failing to provide a specimen, and driving without insurance. Mahmood was jailed for 12 years and nine months for aiding and abetting causing death by dangerous driving, aiding and abetting causing death while uninsured, and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Rohani Jillani: Filmed Himself Before Crash
Rohani Jillani, 25, filmed a Snapchat video while inhaling laughing gas balloons and driving with one hand, reaching 98mph on the Mancunian Way. He then passed out and slumped over the steering wheel of his Mercedes A180, veering left into a viaduct. His 17-year-old passenger Nadia Yusuf died, and another passenger, Shafi Sufi, now 20, was seriously hurt. Jillani, who suffered a brain injury and claimed no memory of the January 2022 crash, was jailed for eight years and eight months in October 2023 after pleading guilty to causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.
Arran Donnelly: Six Balloons Found in Car
Arran Donnelly, 28, was seen using nitrous oxide two minutes before killing his friend Ryan Evans in a crash in Stockport on February 24, 2024. Donnelly drove at up to two-and-a-half times the speed of other vehicles on Broadstone Road in Reddish, lost control on a bend, mounted the kerb, and crashed into a wall. Mr Evans, sitting behind the driver, died at the scene. When arrested, police found six balloons and several large canisters of nitrous oxide in the car. Donnelly, of Heaton Norris, was jailed for six years and nine months after pleading guilty to death by dangerous driving.
Cameron Hughes: Van Plunged Off Bridge
Cameron Hughes, 24, a delivery driver from Blackley, filmed himself pumping his fist to music, using his phone, and inhaling laughing gas from a yellow balloon while driving. In July 2023, he was giving a lift to family friend Bonney-Rae Barrow, 15, when he lost control of his Mercedes Sprinter on a slip road in Lancashire. The van plunged 5m down a ravine, seriously injuring Bonney-Rae, who died the following day in Wythenshawe hospital. Hughes admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
Jacob Gaskell: High on Cocaine and Nitrous Oxide
Jacob Gaskell was high on cocaine and nitrous oxide when his Land Rover Freelander mounted the pavement on Ormskirk Road in Pemberton and struck mum-of-three Laura Gaskell outside a pub in April 2022. The hit-and-run occurred the night before Gaskell's 19th birthday, just two months after he received a suspended sentence for a previous dangerous driving offence. He fled on foot as 44-year-old Laura lay dying. Gaskell, of Ince, was jailed for nine years at Bolton Crown Court.
