Woman who killed man in 103mph Liverpool crash had inhaled large quantities of nitrous oxide

A woman who killed a man after crashing into a wall while driving 103mph in an "incredibly reckless" incident had inhaled large quantities of nitrous oxide.

Nasrin Saleh, 26, drove into the wall next to a roundabout in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, on 10 October 2021

Her passenger, 28-year-old Luqman Mehboob, was killed as a result of the collision.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Saleh had been inhaling "approximately two to three boxes which each contained 15 canisters" of nitrous oxide while driving.

As she drove the car it crashed into the roundabout, taking its front end into the air before it rolled onto its side and then roof.

Around 10 seconds later, it burst into flames, the court was told.

Saleh has now been jailed for four-and-a-half-years after she admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

She was also disqualified from driving for six years and three months, and will be required to take an extended driving test when eligible.

Prosecuting, Arthur Gibson told the court that Saleh, of Colville Street in Wavertree, Liverpool, had been on a night out in Manchester on 9 October, 2021.However, Saleh remained to spend time with friend Shujata Begum. Mr Begum, who was with his sister, had agreed to meet Saleh.Shortly after 2am, Mr Begum and Saleh left to go to a corner shop, as they left the store, a Volkswagen Golf GTI pulled up driven by Mr Mehboob, 28.Saleh and Mr Begum got into the car and Mr Mehboob drove them around Manchester city centre as they listened to music.Mr Begum had said: "There was no cause for concern from me in relation to his driving. He didn’t appear to have been speeding or being under the influence of alcohol.

"He presented as sober."They then got onto the motorway to return to Liverpool. It was at this point that Mr Begum realised that Mr Mehboob and Saleh were both using nitrous oxide canisters.He later told police that Saleh "was having loads of these, approximately two to three boxes which each contained 15 canisters".

Mr Begum was dropped off on Upper Stanhope Street at around 4.15am to return to his own car.Mr Begum saw the Volkswagen drive off with Mr Mehboob still behind the wheel. The car then drove away from the city centre - it was seen on CCTV from a Shell Garage on Liverpool Road, heading outbound.At this point, the car was not seen to have been driven erratically or at excessive speed.

However, at some point Saleh swapped into the driver's seat and the car turned around to head towards Liverpool city centre.

It is not known when or where the swap took place as Saleh answered "no comment" in a police interview.Shortly before 4.45am, a witness was driving along East Prescot Road at the 40mph speed limit. He saw the Volkswagen overtake him at high speed, which he estimated to be above 80mph.He saw the car continue at high speed along the road as it approached the roundabout connecting East Prescot Road and Pilch Lane. A nearby dog walker said he heard the car driving quickly before what he described as "an almighty noise of a collision".

A number of loud bangs followed, which he thought were gunshots. In fact, they were the remaining nitrous oxide canisters exploding in the fire.

Detective Sergeant Kurt Timpson, Lead Investigating Officer for Merseyside Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “This was an incredibly reckless and dangerous incident that tragically led to the death of Luqman Mehboob.

"The grossly excessive speed and use of nitrous oxide in this case is shocking and will never be tolerated.

"Our thoughts remain with Luqman’s family, who continue to be supported by specially trained officers.

“No sentence will or can ever reflect the loss of a life and Luqman's family and friends continue to live through the pain and grief of his death.

"The family would ask that their privacy is respected at this time.

“Any death on the road causes a huge amount of lasting grief for the families of victims. We are committed to working with our partners to prevent deaths on our roads, by way of education and enforcement.

“Every death and serious injury on the road is a preventable tragedy and yet, on average, five people die every day on the roads in the UK.

“We therefore fully support the Road Safety approach, Vision Zero, as no death or serious injury is acceptable on our roads and we will work together with our communities to minimise risk”.