Drunk driver excessive on nitrous oxide ‘Hippy Crack’ who killed a pupil when he slammed into the again of his automotive at 91mph is jailed for 15 years

A speeding drunk driver high on nitrous oxide who killed a student when he slammed into the back of his car at 91mph has been jailed for 15 years

Saqlane Zaffar, 28, smashed into Ryan Sandhu’s Ford Fiesta on a closed lane of Birmingham’s Aston Expressway after driving as fast as he could, forcing other cars to swerve out the way shortly after midnight on June 2, 2024.

The 21-year-old victim suffered a catastrophic head injury and died at the scene.

Zaffar, however, miraculously walked away from the high-speed crash unscathed and was picked up by a friend, Muhammad Hamza, who had earlier been driving in convoy with him.

The pair then ended up in a police chase and crashed again before being arrested.

Mr Sandhu’s heartbroken family paid tribute to him following the collision, saying: ‘In loving memory of Ryan Sandhu, 21 years old and our family’s brightest light.

‘His infectious humour and playful spirit made him the heart and soul of our family.

‘As the baby of our family, Ryan was loved beyond words by each and every one of us.

‘Beloved son, brother, uncle, grandson, and friend, our lives have been forever shattered by his loss. He will be missed more than words can express.’

Zaffar, of Saltley, Birmingham, who had previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, was also banned from driving for 10 years at Birmingham Crown Court this Friday.

Hamza, 29, of Sparkbrook, Birmingham, was convicted of perverting the course of justice and dangerous driving following a trial and was jailed for four and a half years.

Sentencing Zaffar, Judge Peter Cooke, told him he had ‘run the length of the A38 at the highest speed that he could while Hamza had circled round a roundabout waiting for him.

He added: ‘That was what you agreed would happen. You were not racing against your friend but against the clock putting the Audi through its paces.’

He said, the victim ‘was a young man whose bright future had been snuffed out because of the way you had conducted yourself that night’.

Referring to a workman, who had dived out of the way, he said, ‘If he had not heard the popping sounds of the cones and realised what was bearing down on him, he would have been unlikely to have survived the collision.

‘This is about as bad as it can get without a second victim.’

And he told Hamza, ‘I find as the trial judge you knew that Zaffar was planning to drive like a maniac along the A38(M).’

That night, Mr Sandhu, who had just finished the third year of a degree at Staffordshire University, was due to attend the funeral of his uncle the next day and was queuing at roadworks on the A38(M).

Meanwhile, Zafar and Hamza had rented high-performance cars and stopped at a Shell petrol station where Zafar was seen on CCTV filling balloons with nitrous oxide – also known as ‘Hippy Crack –  ‘like on a production line’, the court heard.

Zafar drove his Audi SQ7 out of the city and onto the A38, accelerating all the time, to over 80mph as he undertook other vehicles.

Prosecutor Daniel Oscroft said, ‘He could have easily killed anyone in his path, specifically workers on foot in the road as well as oncoming vehicles.’

Zafar ploughed through cones set out at roadworks, forcing one of the workmen to dive out of the way of his speeding car.

Shortly after this, Zafar careered into the back of Mr Sandhu’s car, causing it to shunt into a Mercedes.

Zafar and a passenger in the car had their lives spared by the front airbags that deployed in the crash.

As Mr Sandhu lay dying, Zafar and his passenger gathered up a number of items, including nitrous oxide canisters, and tossed them over the side of the Aston Expressway.

Hamza cruised up in a blue Nissan Qashqai in closed lanes past the queueing traffic and Zaffar got in.

Police later found them and a high-speed pursuit began at speeds of around 80mph until Hamza crashed and everyone ran out of the car.

Police caught up to them shortly afterwards and Zaffar and Hamza were arrested. Zaffar was ‘so intoxicated he couldn’t stand, when police tried to take samples of his blood and breath, he refused.’

Sergeant Rich Evans, from West Midlands Police, said afterwards: ‘This was a truly horrific collision that claimed the life of a young man, Ryan Sandhu, and devastated his family.

‘Ryan had everything ahead of him, and no family should ever have to endure the grief and pain that his loved ones now face.

‘The driver responsible, Saqlane Zafar, showed complete disregard for the safety of others.

‘He was travelling at 91 miles per hour when he struck Ryan’s vehicle, and then fled the scene without even checking on him.

‘His actions demonstrated a shocking lack of care and responsibility.’