Driver who killed mum while inhaling laughing gas and driving with knees jailed

A driver who killed a cyclist when he hit her with a BMW he was driving with his knees while inhaling laughing gas has been jailed.

Harry Lock, 24, ploughed into mother-of-three Maria Perez-Gonzalez, 53, while she was crossing a road on her bike in Western Way, Exeter, on August 7, 2021.

The ‘remarkable’ Mexican born woman, who worked as a healthcare assistant, was about to train as a nurse and had been due to reunite with her oldest son after 20 year.

But she never got the chance, dying in hospital two days after Lock ran a red light, MailOnline reported.

Lock had spent the day out with a female friend, who he was returning home to Plymouth with when he stopped to retrieve canisters of nitrous oxide from the boot.

The drug, sometimes called ‘hippy crack’, causes dizziness, euphoria, laughter, confusion, hallucinations and loss of balance and judgement.

However, this didn’t stop Lock from using both hands to crack open the canisters, fill balloons and inhale the laughing gas while he steered with his knees.

Despite pleas from his female passenger who warned him about the dangers, he ignored her and ran a red light, hitting Miss Perez-Gonzalez.

In an attempt to conceal evidence, Lock asked his female passenger to hide the canisters after the crash and to claim the light had been green.

He repeated this claim to police under interview, but investigators proved this to be untrue when they combed through CCTV months later

Despite the scene being obscured by foliage in the footage, Detective Constable John Greathead spotted subtle pixel changes that were in fact the crossing lights.

Officers could then determine the sequence timing, showing that Miss Perez-Gonzalez had been crossing Western Way from Barnfield Road on a green crossing light.

The traffic light Lock drove through had been red for nearly seven seconds.

Given he was driving within the speed limit, Lock should have seen the light from 130 metres away.

Lock, of Shortwood Crescent, Plymouth, finally admitted to causing death by dangerous driving.

Appearing before Exeter Crown Court on Friday, he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

He will also be banned from driving from two years on release.

Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court told Lock: ‘You chose to inhale nitrous oxide from up to three canisters and stopped your vehicle to access them.

‘You inflated the balloons and inhaled the gas. There were many points along the way at which you could and should have stopped this foolish activity.

‘The nitrous oxide impaired your judgment and slowed your reactions. That is particularly noxious in relation to a driving offence.

‘You made efforts to tidy up the car and showed moral cowardice in asking your passenger to say the light was green.’

Defending, Mr Daniel Pawson-Pounds said Lock had consumed only three canisters at most, and claimed his driving had otherwise been normal and legal.

He said Lock, who was only 21 at the time, had no other convictions and had excellent references from employers, friends and family.

Sergeant Troy Bennett, of Devon & Cornwall Police, said: ‘Harry Lock’s dangerous actions on the evening of 7 August 2021, where he drove while using nitrous oxide and contravened a red traffic light, had catastrophic and fatal consequences.

‘Those tragic consequences are felt by the family of Maria Perez-Gonzalez to this day as they continue to mourn her loss.

‘As Lock starts his sentence, he can reflect on his poor choices that evening.

‘Driving while impaired is one of the ‘fatal five’ most dangerous driving behaviours that often contribute to fatal or serious road traffic collisions.

‘I urge all those who get behind the wheel to ensure they never drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and that they drive carefully.’

Miss Perez-Gonzalez’s family supported the release of CCTV footage in a hope it will warn other drivers of the consequences of dangerous driving.

Her three sons said: ‘She was an incredible person who accomplished amazing things in life, who was going to achieve so much more. 

‘A year away from reuniting with her oldest son, Edgar, after 20 years. She was a remarkable woman that helped whoever surrounded her.

‘She had been through difficult times but always stayed positive, even in the face of the extreme adversity, testament to her strength and courage. 

‘She was a health care assistant at the RD&E, just about to embark on university nursing course before she was so cruelly taken.’

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: ‘My heart goes out to the family and friends of Miss Perez-Gonzalez.

‘Her death was completely avoidable and I welcome the sentence passed down to Harry Lock today.

‘This tragic case should give a clear warning to anyone who think it’s OK to drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

‘It is hugely irresponsible and the consequences can be catastrophic.

‘Not only will this offender be spending time behind bars, but he will forever have to live with the fact that his selfish actions have left a family without their mother.’

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