A British teenager was sentenced to serve five years in jail after he killed his 17-year-old best friend in a car accident, which took place just 24 hours after the driver passed his driving test and got his license.
Corey Owen-Cooper was sentenced during a hearing on November 7 at Sheffield Crown Court. The sentencing took place two years after the fatal crash occurred on November 11, 2023. Owen-Cooper, 19, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Joshua Atkins, according to a South Yorkshire Police news release.
Atkins died three days after the car accident, in which Owen-Cooper was driving around 53 mph on a road with a 20 mph speed limit.
“I think I have killed him … I have killed my best friend,” Owen-Cooper said immediately after the crash, per the release.
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According to police, Owen-Cooper had been “embracing his newfound freedom after passing his driving test the day before, and had gone out with his friends to [socialize] in their vehicles” before the collision occurred.
Owen-Cooper was driving a relative’s Fiat Punto around the city at the time of the accident while police said in the release that he was “making stops to drop off friends and meet others” in a nearby parking lot.
Witnesses at the parking lot “reported to police that Owen-Cooper had been performing donuts and driving at high speeds in a manner they described as alarming. One witness expressed fearing for their safety, remarking that Owen-Cooper ‘thinks he has nine lives,’” according to the release.
Atkins was sitting in the front passenger seat of the car, while their friend Gabriel Wiggett was seated in the back of the vehicle at the time of the incident.
“As Owen-Cooper was driving, he misjudged a bend on the road and left the carriageway, colliding into the barriers, causing the car to flip onto its roof,” the press release stated. “Owen-Cooper was able to get out of the vehicle, but Josh and Gabriel were trapped. Other drivers passing by stopped to offer help, and after establishing that Josh was not breathing, began CPR on him in a bid to save his life.”
Emergency services then arrived at the scene and took Atkins and Wiggett to the hospital. “Sadly, three days later, despite everyone’s best efforts Josh died from his injuries. He was just 17 years old,” the statement said. “Gabriel suffered serious injuries and required extensive hospital treatment to aid his recovery.”
The Serious Collisions Unit launched an investigation into the matter and “concluded that Owen-Cooper lost control of the vehicle due to speed,” per the release.
In addition to his five-year prison sentence, Owen-Cooper has also been disqualified from driving for seven years and three months. He was also ordered to sit an extended retest in order to have a driver’s license, police confirmed.
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Following the sentencing, Serious Collisions Unit Inspector Kieran Frain said, “While today’s sentencing will hopefully bring closure to Josh’s family and end a two-year investigation, it doesn’t bring Josh back. On the 11 November 2023, three families’ lives were changed forever,” per the police release.
“Josh’s life was taken from him, and his family will continue to grieve his loss forever, but the life of Corey Owen-Cooper will also never be the same. Corey will have to live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life,” Frain continued.
Frain then noted that Owen-Cooper “didn’t set out that evening to kill anyone,” though the night ended in tragedy due to “a lack of maturity, responsibility and an increase in risk taking.”
