Cardiff: St Mellons crash victims on laughing gas, court papers reveal

Eve Smith, 21, Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Darcy Ross, 21, died after a collision in the St Mellons area of Cardiff

Victims of a fatal car crash had been drinking and inhaling laughing gas before the incident, a friend told police.

Rafel Jeanne, 24, Darcy Ross, 21, and Eve Smith, 21, died while two other passengers survived with injuries.

A sixth passenger, Joel Lia, had driven the same car earlier that evening and was later charged with driving offences.

Court papers revealed he described the victims as being "intoxicated".

The crash happened on the A48(M) near the St Mellons area of Cardiff at about 02:00 GMT on Saturday 4 March when a Volkswagen Tiguan veered off a slip road approaching a roundabout and came to rest in a small copse of trees.

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Two other occupants Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, survived but were injured.

The five were discovered on 6 March, about 46 hours after the crash happened.

The length of time taken by Gwent Police and South Wales Police to find the group, who were reported missing by family members, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The group had been on a night out at The Muffler social club in Maesglas, Newport, on 3 March and then travelled in the Tiguan just under 40 miles (64km) to the Trecco Bay Caravan Park, Porthcawl, where they are said to have spent some time in one of the caravans on site.

A noise complaint was made to the park's security lodge about the group.

Sophie Russon, 20 at the time of the crash, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were seriously injured in the accident

They left the site a short time later and were last seen at about 02:00 in the Pentwyn area of Cardiff, dropping off a sixth member of their group.

Court papers obtained by the PA news agency reveal that the group had been drinking alcohol and inhaling nitrous oxide - also known as laughing gas - prior to the collision.

The details emerged in a behind-closed-doors hearing at Cardiff Magistrates' Court for Joel Lia, the sixth member of the group, who had been driving the Tiguan an hour before the crash.

Lia, 28, of Rumney, Cardiff, was charged with driving without a licence or insurance in Porthcawl.

His case is being dealt with under a system known as the single justice procedure, where magistrates handle non-custodial criminal prosecutions in private rather than open court.

PA applied to the court for the prosecution documents relating to Lia's case.

Det Con Joanne Mahony took a witness statement from Lia in which he admitted driving the car even though he did not have a full UK licence.

CCTV from a petrol station in Porthcawl showed the Tiguan pulling on to the forecourt at 01:08 and leaving three minutes later.

"On stopping at the garage, Joel Lia exits the rear offside of the vehicle and, when the driver exits the driver's seat, Joel Lia then enters the driver's seat. He then drives the vehicle off the forecourt," police documents state.

The papers go on to say that DC Mahony, the officer in the case, took a signed statement from Lia in which he admitted driving without holding a full UK licence.

"All other persons in the vehicle were intoxicated, by Joel's admission, as they had been drinking alcohol and inhaling nitrous oxide throughout the course of the evening," the documents state.

"The vehicle did not display L plates which can be seen on CCTV. The officer in the case has reviewed the CCTV as part of this unrelated case and can positively identify Joel Lia as the person entering the driver's seat."

Lia pleaded guilty to both charges and the case was adjourned until 24 August.

An initial inquest was told that the three who died were declared dead at the scene of the crash.

The hearing was adjourned to await the findings of further histology (tissue and cell study) and toxicology tests.