Two men were inhaling laughing gas from balloons while driving at speeds of up to 140mph in residential 30mph zones moments before a high-speed crash that killed a man on his way to work, a court has heard.
Uways Hussain, 20, was at the wheel of a Volkswagen Golf GTI owned by his friend Usmon Mahmood, 23, when he ran a red light at the junction of Green End Road and Kingsway in Manchester in the early hours of Monday, March 9, 2026. The Golf ploughed into a Volvo S40 driven by 50-year-old Sylvester Abayomi, who suffered fatal injuries and later died in hospital.
Mr Abayomi, described by his partner Denise Doyle as an “ordinary hard-working man”, had been heading to work and was travelling through a green light at the time of the collision, Greater Manchester Police confirmed.
A callous plot to evade justice
What transformed a reckless tragedy into a case that shocked even seasoned investigators was what happened immediately after the crash. Hussain’s Apple Watch automatically detected the collision and dialled 999 – a feature designed to summon help in an emergency. But the two men, unaware the call had connected, were recorded discussing how to escape justice.
Prosecutor Rachel Shenton told Manchester Crown Court that a transcript of the conversation captured the pair plotting to call an Uber to leave the scene and report the car as stolen. Judge Nicholas Dean KC described the recording as “chilling”, telling the court: “It doesn’t reveal shock or concern for the victim.”
The pair were tracked down and arrested by officers within 12 minutes of the first report. But the call, combined with hours of footage filmed by the defendants themselves, painted a devastating picture of sustained and escalating criminality.
Video evidence showed Hussain driving at more than 100mph with one hand on the wheel, weaving through traffic and running red lights, while both men filmed themselves inhaling nitrous oxide – commonly known as laughing gas – from balloons. Mahmood was heard shouting encouragement. The judge said the driving was “deliberate risk-taking, seemingly for the thrill of it”.
Nitrous oxide has been a Class C drug since November 2023, making recreational possession illegal. The court heard that both men had been using the substance during the night-long driving spree.
Sentencing
Hussain, who had indicated a guilty plea at magistrates’ court, admitted causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving while uninsured, and failing to provide a specimen. He was sentenced to 11 years and eight months detention.
Mahmood initially told police he had tried to warn Hussain about his driving before later pleading guilty to aiding and abetting causing death by dangerous driving, aiding and abetting causing death by driving while uninsured, and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He was jailed for 12 years and nine months – a sentence Greater Manchester Police said was believed to be one of the highest ever imposed for a death by dangerous driving offence involving a single fatality.
Judge Dean KC said: “It was a sustained, deliberate and escalating course of highly dangerous conduct over a prolonged period. I have seen CCTV images and video recordings on phones and they are terrifying. You drove at extreme speeds, seemingly up to very nearly 140mph, on roads which were by and large subject to 30mph speed limits, far, far in excess of any safe or lawful limit.”
Hussain, a law student who worked full-time at an airport, had a previous conviction for drug-driving, the court heard. Neil Ronan, defending, said his client understood the gravity of his actions. Mahmood, who was about to start an apprenticeship with Network Rail, was described by his barrister Clare Ashcroft as “starting to understand the impact of his behaviour”.
Victim’s voice
In a statement read to the court, Mr Abayomi’s partner Denise Doyle addressed the two men directly:
“Sylvester was simply on his way to work. An ordinary hard-working man. He should have returned home to me safely that day. Because of your actions he never did.
“You left Sylv to die alone. You did not show him even a shred of compassion or humanity.”
