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Teen Driver Jailed After Killing Friend in 53mph Sheffield Crash a Day After Passing Test

The judge condemned his 'deplorable' showing-off, calling the case a warning to new drivers.

Overview

  • Corey Owen Cooper, 19, received five years in a young offenders institution after pleading guilty to causing the death of Josh Atkins and seriously injuring passenger Gabe Wiggett.
  • Police evidence said the Fiat Grande Punto was traveling about 53mph in a 20mph zone before Cooper lost control on a bend and hit a metal barrier on Myers Grove Lane in Stannington.
  • Witnesses described the car 'just shot off' on a straight section, and court testimony detailed earlier wheel spins in a car park and estimates he had hit 80mph near Bradfield School.
  • Friends told the court the dashboard was 'lit up like a Christmas tree' for roughly 90 minutes before the crash, indicating an ABS fault noted by prosecutors.
  • Atkins' family donated his organs, which Sheffield Teaching Hospitals said saved four lives, and his aunt Claire Chapman urged adoption of a graduated driving licence system.