Teen driver inhaling balloons killed mum-of-three after passing out at wheel and fleeing scene

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A teenager who killed a mum-of-three after fatally crashing into her outside a pub whilst high on cocaine has been jailed. Jacob Gaskell, 19, had been inhaling laughing gas from a balloon when he injured two other bystanders when he lost control at the wheel.

The teen sped in his Land Rover Freelander before the hit-and-run crash where he mounted the pavement in front of a pub. The incident happened on the evening of April 8, the day before Gaskell’s 19th birthday and just two months after he was handed a suspended sentence for a previous dangerous driving offence.

As Gaskell led the scene on foot, 44-year-old teacher Laura Hazeldine lay dying outside pub Number 15. Gaskell, of Marlbrough Avenue, Ince, has been jailed for nine years at Bolton Crown Court with a further 10 year ban following his release from prison, according to Manchester Evening News.

Gaskell had picked up a number of passengers in Garswood and was driving to Pemberton. Prosecution barrister Rachel Woods told the court that one of the passengers said that Gaskell’s driving was originally fine but then he started speeding and going through red lights.One of the passengers asked to get out of the car because the teen’s driving was so dangerous- which Gaskell ignored.