A British teenager was sentenced to serve 5 years in jail after he killed his 17-year-old greatest good friend in a automobile accident, which came about simply 24 hours after the motive force handed his driving take a look at and acquired his license.
Corey Owen-Cooper was sentenced throughout a listening to on November 7 at Sheffield Crown Court docket. The sentencing came about two years after the deadly crash occurred on November 11, 2023. Owen-Cooper, 19, pleaded responsible to inflicting the dying of Joshua Atkins, in accordance with a South Yorkshire Police information launch.
Atkins died three days after the automobile accident, during which Owen-Cooper was driving round 53 mph on a street with a 20 mph velocity restrict.
“I feel I’ve killed him … I’ve killed my greatest good friend,” Owen-Cooper stated instantly after the crash, per the discharge.
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In line with police, Owen-Cooper had been “embracing his newfound freedom after passing his driving take a look at the day earlier than, and had gone out along with his buddies to [socialize] of their autos” earlier than the collision occurred.
Owen-Cooper was driving a relative’s Fiat Punto across the metropolis on the time of the accident whereas police stated within the launch that he was “making stops to drop off buddies and meet others” in a close-by car parking zone.
Witnesses on the car parking zone “reported to police that Owen-Cooper had been performing donuts and driving at excessive speeds in a fashion they described as alarming. One witness expressed fearing for his or her security, remarking that Owen-Cooper ‘thinks he has 9 lives,’” in accordance with the discharge.
Atkins was sitting within the entrance passenger seat of the automobile, whereas their good friend Gabriel Wiggett was seated behind the automobile on the time of the incident.
“As Owen-Cooper was driving, he misjudged a bend on the street and left the carriageway, colliding into the obstacles, inflicting the automobile to flip onto its roof,” the press launch acknowledged. “Owen-Cooper was capable of get out of the automobile, however Josh and Gabriel have been trapped. Different drivers passing by stopped to supply assist, and after establishing that Josh was not respiratory, started CPR on him in a bid to avoid wasting his life.”
Emergency companies then arrived on the scene and took Atkins and Wiggett to the hospital. “Sadly, three days later, regardless of everybody’s greatest efforts Josh died from his accidents. He was simply 17 years previous,” the assertion stated. “Gabriel suffered severe accidents and required in depth hospital remedy to help his restoration.”
The Critical Collisions Unit launched an investigation into the matter and “concluded that Owen-Cooper misplaced management of the automobile as a consequence of velocity,” per the discharge.
Along with his five-year jail sentence, Owen-Cooper has additionally been disqualified from driving for seven years and three months. He was additionally ordered to take a seat an prolonged retest with a view to have a driver’s license, police confirmed.
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Following the sentencing, Critical Collisions Unit Inspector Kieran Frain stated, “Whereas at present’s sentencing will hopefully convey closure to Josh’s household and finish a two-year investigation, it doesn’t convey Josh again. On the 11 November 2023, three households’ lives have been modified endlessly,” per the police launch.
“Josh’s life was taken from him, and his household will proceed to grieve his loss endlessly, however the lifetime of Corey Owen-Cooper can even by no means be the identical. Corey should stay with the results of his actions for the remainder of his life,” Frain continued.
Frain then famous that Owen-Cooper “didn’t set out that night to kill anybody,” although the night time resulted in tragedy as a consequence of “a scarcity of maturity, duty and a rise in danger taking.”
