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Cardiff crash survivor Shane Loughlin sentenced for drink-driving

South Wales Police Shaun LoughlinSouth Wales Police
Shane Loughlin was jailed after admitting dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified

A drink-driver has been sentenced after being caught by police six months after he survived a triple death crash.

Shane Loughlin, 32, is already in jail after being filmed inhaling laughing gas at the wheel of the car that crashed in St Mellons, Cardiff.

Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21 and driver Rafel Jeanne, 24 all died. It is not alleged Loughlin was driving.

He admitted drink-driving driving while disqualified and without insurance and was given a six-month prison sentence.

He also had a pre-existing driving ban for earlier offences extended by six months.

Loughlin was sentenced on Thursday after being caught driving on 2 September on Aberporth Road in Cardiff while subject to an interim driving ban.

He was also found to be over the legal drink-drive limit and was not insured to drive the car.

Wales News Service Shane LoughlinWales News Service
At a previous court appearance footage showed Shane Loughlin driving with no hands on the steering wheel at times

The father-of-three attended the hearing at Cardiff Magistrates' Court via video link from HMP Cardiff and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154.

District Judge David Webster told him the latest prison term would be served concurrently with the sentence he is already serving, meaning he will not serve any additional time behind bars.

The incident happened six months after the fatal crash on 4 March.

Loughlin, from Rumney, Cardiff, was a passenger in the Volkswagen Tiguan when it veered off the A48 in east of Cardiff and into undergrowth.

Loughlin and another woman Sophie Russon, 20, were seriously injured.

Earlier this month at Cardiff Crown Court, Loughlin was sentenced to one year and five months in prison after admitting dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

The court was shown footage of him filming himself driving the Tiguan while inhaling nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, whilst driving up to 90mph on the M4.

That sentence also included a month for a breach of an unrelated community order for common assault against his former partner and criminal damage.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years and eight months.