‘Hippy crack' crash driver who mowed down pedestrian while high learns her fate
Louisa Tunstall, 19, was filmed inhaling nitrous oxide, otherwise known as hippy crack, at the wheel of her Fiat 500 in Wigan before veering onto the pavement and hitting a woman
A woman who ran over a pedestrian just seconds after she inhaled nitrous oxide from a balloon while at the wheel of her car has been detained for 20 months. CCTV footage captured Louisa Tunstall, 19, using the Class C drug, often referred to as 'hippy crack', while travelling in her Fiat 500 in Wigan, Greater Manchester, said Greater Manchester Police.
Moments later Tunstall's vehicle veered onto the pavement and struck a 51-year-old female pedestrian and then overturned on the East Lancashire Road, Lowton. The pedestrian sustained serious life-changing leg injuries from the incident on the early evening of May 24.
Tunstall, of Bradwell Road, Lowton, received the custodial sentence at Bolton Crown Court for possession of a Class C drug, driving under the influence of drugs and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, said GMP.
She was also banned from driving for two years and eight months, and ordered to take an extended test. In a victim impact statement, the injured woman said: 'I would like to say that this incident has had a significant impact on not only my life but my family's life.
'As I cannot get upstairs, I need someone to be with me all of the time and my daughter has become my full-time carer which isn't fair on her as she is currently studying at university.
'When I think about the actions of the driver, I feel like she has turned my world upside down. I have missed so much in my life, and I feel that she can just go about her business as normal with no understanding of the consequences for her actions.'
Following sentencing, Pc Stefan Bielizna from GMP's roads policing unit, said: 'It was made clear by the judge that drivers under the influence of nitrous oxide, like in this case, will be given time behind bars if they choose to get behind the wheel.
'Being in possession and especially under the influence of nitrous oxide has similar effects to other drugs and can severely impair your capability to drive. There is no excuse for taking other people's lives into your hands due to the reckless and selfish behaviours that Tunstall has shown.'
GMP established that Tunstall was under the influence of nitrous oxide at the time of the accident - a drug which has been banned since November 2023. She had also been out to purchase more nitrous oxide to use that same evening.
When questioned by officers, Tunstall stated that she had "taken her eyes off the road to retrieve something in the footwell" before knowing the car had flipped. But witness accounts and nearby CCTV enabled police to establish that Tunstall, whilst driving, had inhaled nitrous oxide through a balloon seconds before the collision.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Neighbourhoods where people are most likely to be mugged, carjacked or robbed
The neighbourhoods and town centres where people are most likely to be mugged, carjacked or threatened and forced to hand over mobile phones have been revealed by a new crime map. A new interactive crime map has revealed the neighbourhoods in Britain where you're most likely to be mugged, carjacked or robbed, according to police data. Last year, police recorded more than 80,000 crimes of robbery in England and Wales. That is any crime where an offender uses force or the threat of force in order to steal. It can include mugging (where someone is attacked and robbed on the street), robbery by intimidation (making someone think violence or force will be used to steal from them), carjacking (using force to steal a vehicle), an armed robbery or a bank robbery. It is a more serious offence than simple theft and can leave victims suffering psychological harm, even triggering long-term mental health issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The maximum sentence is life imprisonment. As with most crime types, robberies are more likely to take place in busy town and city centres than in residential neighbourhoods. Last year, outside central London - where tourists are far more likely to be targeted than anywhere else - Leeds City Centre witnessed the highest number of robberies with 365, the equivalent of one per day. Next was the North Central & Dartmouth Circus (287) and Central (262) districts of Birmingham city centre. You can see how crime rates compare near you using our interactive map. Crime rates - the number of crimes in each area for every 1,000 people living there - allow for a fairer comparison of the likelihood of being robbed in places with widely different population sizes. However, in some busy city centres, the results may be skewed by the number of visitors. After Leeds City Centre and districts within Birmingham's city centre, the risk of a robbery was greatest in Central Bradford. There were 133 robberies last year in Central Bradford, a rate of 20 crimes for every 1,000 people, or one robbery for every 50 residents. Next was Bristol's City Centre & Harbourside neighbourhood (17 robberies per 1,000 residents), Leicester City Centre (16 per 1,000 people), Central Blackpool (14), and Nottingham City Centre & Trent Bridge (14). However, robbery is far more likely in London than anywhere else in England and Wales. The 32 local authority areas with the highest rates of robbery are all boroughs of London. Of neighbourhood areas, robberies were most common in Fitzrovia West & Soho, a total of 1,285 last year. That's the equivalent of a robbery every seven hours, or at least three each day. Figures are available for every one of more than 7,000 neighbourhoods in England and Wales apart from areas covered by Greater Manchester Police, as the force has not supplied crime data for last year. Crime figures are available for neighbourhoods with between 7,000 and 10,000 residents, which the government designates as Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs). The statistics do not include crimes reported at train stations, as British Transport Police record them.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Daughter of Benidorm attack victim in plea for answers
The daughter of a British man who died after being attacked by a stranger in a Spanish resort city in 2018 has renewed her call for information to help find his killer. Mike Rydings, 48, from Wythenshawe in Manchester, was celebrating a friend's 50th birthday and watching the World Cup at a bar in Benidorm when he was set upon in the early hours of 23 June. His daughter Hayley Barker said witnesses saw him backing away "with his hands up" before he was punched in the face, leaving him with a broken nose and serious head injures after falling on to the concrete. Mr Rydings was treated in a Spanish hospital before being moved to Salford Royal, but died 14 months later. Ms Barker said an investigation by both Spanish and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) had failed to find identify the attacker, despite GMP interviewing a range of British holidaymakers who were at the Hippodrome Bar at the time. "It makes me feel angry," she told BBC Radio Manchester. "My dad was stolen from me in such cruel circumstances, whoever has done this still gets to live their life."We can't move forward as such because we don't have justice." She called for anyone who may have new information that could help to contact GMP. "It would mean the world - we'd actually get some answers, it's what we deserve as a family," Ms Barker said. GMP said while the investigation was the responsibility of Spanish authorities, they were ready to assist if required. She said her father was 5ft 10ins (1.55m), had a stocky build and was wearing a red Hugo Boss t-shirt and glasses at the time of the attack. While Ms Barker said she had great memories of her dad being "the life and soul of the party" before his attack, her children had no memory of him. She said she was pregnant with her first child, a daughter, when Mr Rydings was attacked. "He never even got to hold her because of the condition he was left in before he passed away," she said. "In 2022 I had a son who would have been his only grandson, so that was very sad." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Terrifying moment lorry driver swerves manically across major A-road missing traffic by INCHES while 4x over legal limit
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THIS is the terrifying moment a drunk trucker swerves four times across a major A-road, managing to just miss traffic by a few inches. The lorry driver was caught on camera weaving along a busy road - at four times the legal drink drive limit. 5 The lorry driver was caught on camera swerving between lanes Credit: WNS 5 Iurie Istrati admitted drunk and dangerous driving at his court appearance Credit: WNS 5 Istrati was seen by other road users swerving between lanes and crossing white lines in his HGV Credit: WNS Iurie Istrati, 56, was spotted by other drivers who rang 999 to raise the alarm at his lunchtime drink-drive session. He was seen at 1pm swerving between lanes and crossing white lines in his HGV. A court heard police responded to a 999 call reporting a HGV swerving between lanes and the edge of the carriageway on the A483 at Gresford, North Wales. Despite attempts by officers to pull the vehicle over, Istrati continued driving - and narrowly avoided crashing into the roadside barrier. Officers overtook Istrati on the A5 near Halton and gradually brought the HGV to a stop. Istrati was taken into custody and provided a breath specimen of 127 micrograms of alcohol, almost four times over the legal limit of 35. Istrati, listed as of no fixed abode but believed to be Polish, was jailed for nine months. He admitted dangerous and drink driving at Mold Magistrates Court. PC Ryan Sheppard said: 'Istrati's dangerous driving clearly could have caused a serious or fatal collision if he was not stopped. "He showed blatant disregard for the safety of members of the public and the law. Shock moment drunk Fiat 500 driver smashes into car and flips over during dangerous overtake on quiet residential street 'I thank the concerned driver who called our control room to alert us to this incident. 'I would like to thank the individual who phoned us with their concerns regarding the behaviour they witnessed – although we will never know, they have potentially saved lives. 'Reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads remains a priority for North Wales Police and we will continue to do all that we can to remove dangerous drivers from the roads. 'If you suspect somebody is driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs, I urge you to report this to us so we can take action and keep our communities safe.' He was also disqualified from driving for three years and four months, after which he would be required to pass an extended driving test to renew his licence. 5 The driver was given a nine month jail sentence Credit: WNS
