Corey Owen Cooper was behind the wheel of his grandfather’s Fiat Grand Punto when he lost control of the car and crashed, killing his friend Josh Atkins in November 2023
A teenage motorist has been jailed for five years in a young offenders institution after fatally injuring his friend in a crash following doing ‘doughnuts’ in a car park. The incident came just 24 hours after passing his driving test.
Corey Owen Cooper lost control of his vehicle, resulting in the death of friend Josh Atkins in November 2023. The then-17 year old had been travelling at speeds between 47mph and 53mph on 20mph roads in Sheffield, Yorkshire. He was seen before incident attempting doughnuts in a car park.
A ‘doughnut’ involves the vehicle’s rear spinning around the front end, leaving a circular skid pattern on the ground. Cooper was driving his grandfather’s Fiat Grand Punto during the tragic incident, which claimed the life of his passenger.
Following his guilty plea to causing death by dangerous driving and seriously wounding another passenger in August at Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC had cautioned the now 19-year-old that imprisonment awaited when he returned for sentencing.
He stated: “You will be sent into custody. The only issue for me to determine is for how long. There’s also the question of disqualification. In the interim, I will disqualify you from driving.”,
“That’s to say you are not permitted by law to drive on public roads. The likelihood is in fact almost an inevitability that you will be taken into custody. You have to prepare yourself for that.”
In court, prosecutor Ian West explained that Cooper passed his driving test around 24 hours before the crash that killed his friend, reports the Mirror.
“He had driven the vehicle the day before, it belonged to his grandfather,” he said.
Cooper’s failure to notice a “faulty ABS braking system” error message on his vehicle was highlighted.
To honour the memory of the enthusiastic young angler, the victim’s family and friends commemorated his life with a charity walk through Hillsborough Park last year.
Josh’s auntie, Claire Chapman, reflected: “It was a great afternoon, even with the rain. We all loved to see to see so many of Josh’s friends turn out for him. I think it was a day of remembrance and reflection rather than sadness.”
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals revealed that Josh’s organs have been used to save the lives of four people.
It stated: “When Josh was in the Northern General Hospital and it was clear that his injuries meant he had no chance of survival, his family made the decision to donate his organs. His heart, liver and kidneys have subsequently saved the lives of four other people.”
And Ms Chapman, added: “We’ve lost Josh and that has been devastating for our family, but we take huge comfort that his organs have helped others and that his heart is still beating.”
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