Junaid Latif: Sheffield man, 23, inhaled nitrous oxide at wheel before crashing into railings, inquest hears

Junaid Latif was also speeding when he crashed on Moore Street as he headed towards the roundabout at St Mary’s Gate, at the junction with Ecclesall Road, and his left hand was in a plaster cast, or pot, which would have affected his ability to drive, Sheffield Coroner’s Court heard today (Friday, October 21).

A police officer told the inquest how the 23-year-old warehouse operative from Nether Edge had veered inexplicably to the left before colliding with railings and hitting a metal post with his car, a blue Seat Leon, on Sunday, October 3, 2021, at around 3.40am. Junaid had apparently made no effort to brake and there were no other vehicles involved.

Despite the best efforts of a Royal Navy officer who was at the scene and administered CPR, paramedics who took over and staff at the Northern General Hospital, he was pronounced dead shortly after 4.30am that morning.

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Forensic collision investigator Dr Michael Orchard told the court the speedometer was stuck at approximately 56mph following the crash, though it was not known whether this had been reduced on impact with the barriers, and Junaid is believed to have been exceeding the speed limit. Dr Orchard also described how nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, canisters had been found in the car, and CCTV footage recorded approximately 13 minutes before the crash showed Junaid holding an inflated balloon in his hand while driving. He said nitrous oxide inhalation results in a ‘europhic high’, making you ‘less attentive to your surroundings’.

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PC Andrew Woodhead, the investigating officer in the case, said there were two passengers who were initially found unconscious but soon came round and fled the scene. The front passenger had to be freed from the vehicle as he was trapped between the seat and the dashboard. PC Woodhead told the court Junaid had fractured his left hand in a sporting accident the previous month and it remained in a cast on the night of the crash.

He said one of the passengers told how Junaid struggled to use that hand to change gear and on previous occasions had reached over and used his right hand to do so or got the front passenger to operate the gearstick for him. Junaid’s sister told the court their mum had said that the day before the crash Junaid was ‘really struggling’ with his hand and ‘couldn’t use a fork properly’.

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The inquest heard from Dr Orchard that Junaid had not been wearing his seatbelt and the tread on his front tyres had been below the legal minimum depth, though given the conditions that night he did not believe that defect had contributed to the collision. PC Woodhead said that in addition to the nitrous oxide, a wrap of cannabis and some white crystals believed to be crack cocaine were found in the car, though there was no evidence Junaid had used either.

Assistant coroner Stephen Eccleston said: “I’m satisfied that the cause of Junaid’s death was this collision, where he was the driver, and his ability to drive safely was impaired by virtue of his broken hand in a pot and his use of nitrous oxide. Responsibility for the crash has to sit with Junaid as the driver and I think it’s such a terrible tragedy for his family to have lost so young a son in these circumstances.”

He added: “It may seem trite if I say I hope it serves as a warning about the rules for drug use, good tyres and the use of seatbelts being complied with. This case illustrates why they are so important, even if they don’t seem important to young men.”