'Euphoric' drug driver killed man in 103mph crash

Nasrin Saleh had been repeatedly inhaling nitrous oxide gas

A driver who got the behind the wheel while "euphoric" on nitrous oxide killed her passenger in a 103mph (165km/h) crash, a court has heard.

Nasrin Saleh's Volkswagen Golf GTI hit a brick wall by a roundabout before flipping and bursting into flames.

Saleh, 26, from Liverpool, was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

A judge at Liverpool Crown Court praised a taxi driver who rescued Selah but could not save her passenger Luqman Mehboob, 28.

Selah, of Colville Street in Wavertree, admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

At the scene of the crash in East Prescot Road, Knotty Ash, the single mother of a six-year-old boy admitted both she and her passenger had been "doing balloons" and taking turns to drive despite neither having insurance.

A mutual friend, who was in the car earlier, said Saleh was "having loads" of canisters - about two to three boxes, which each contained 15 canisters.

Judge David Aubrey KC told her: "The court has no doubt you as the driver and Mr Mehboob, as the front seat passenger, were in a state of euphoria having taken nitrous oxide.

"It was the adrenaline of the moment, driving a powerful vehicle that you were unfamiliar with at grossly excessive speeds.

"It was inevitable that driving at those speeds, even with braking, that the car would collide with the wall of the roundabout."

The judge said nitrous oxide can cause confusion, disorientation, loss of co-ordination and even hallucinations

The car driven by Nasrin Saleh hit the roundabout wall at 103mph in Knotty Ash, Liverpool

In an impact statement from the victim's mother, Fahmida Kauser, spoke of losing her only child who had his whole life in front of him.

Judge Aubrey said the university graduate was "a special person to so many and a good friend to others".

He said his life came to"an abrupt end in the early hours of that Sunday morning while members of his closely knit family were anxiously making phone calls seeking to ascertain his whereabouts".

Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, said CCTV footage from a house near the roundabout showed the car travelling at 103mph in a 40mph zone at about 04:45 BST on 10 October.

The car struck the roundabout wall, its front end lifted into the air, rolled onto its side and the roof before bursting into flames ten seconds later not far from Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

Taxi driver Russell Cooper ran to the car with a fire extinguisher and pulled Selah out.

He carried her to some nearby grass and she told him, "we swapped, we were doing balloons, me baby, me friend, is he still in there?"

Mr Cooper returned to the blazing car and managed to hold Mr Mehboob's arm but he was unresponsive and the intensity of the fire and the black smoke forced him back.

Fusad Arshad, mitigating, said Saleh accepted her actions resulted in Mr Mehboob's death and she "will carry for the rest of her life a heavy burden of guilt".

Judge Aubrey praised taxi driver Mr Cooper for his bravery in saving one life and trying to save another with no concern for his own safety and commended him with a High Sheriff's award of £250.

Saleh was also banned from driving for six years three months..