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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.<\/p>\n
Corey Owen-Cooper<\/strong> 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<\/strong>, according to a South Yorkshire Police news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I have killed him \u2026 I have killed my best friend,\u201d Owen-Cooper said immediately after the crash, per the release.<\/p>\n Scott Disick Makes Rare Comments About Son Mason and Shares Updates on His Move to NYC<\/a><\/p>\n According to police, Owen-Cooper had been \u201cembracing his newfound freedom after passing his driving test the day before, and had gone out with his friends to [socialize] in their vehicles\u201d before the collision occurred.<\/p>\n Owen-Cooper was driving a relative\u2019s Fiat Punto around the city at the time of the accident while police said in the release that he was \u201cmaking stops to drop off friends and meet others\u201d in a nearby parking lot.<\/p>\n Witnesses at the parking lot \u201creported 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 \u2018thinks he has nine lives,\u2019\u201d according to the release.<\/p>\n Atkins was sitting in the front passenger seat of the car, while their friend Gabriel Wiggett<\/strong> was seated in the back of the vehicle at the time of the incident.<\/p>\n \u201cAs 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,\u201d the press release stated. \u201cOwen-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.\u201d<\/p>\n Emergency services then arrived at the scene and took Atkins and Wiggett to the hospital. \u201cSadly, three days later, despite everyone\u2019s best efforts Josh died from his injuries. He was just 17 years old,\u201d the statement said. \u201cGabriel suffered serious injuries and required extensive hospital treatment to aid his recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n The Serious Collisions Unit launched an investigation into the matter and \u201cconcluded that Owen-Cooper lost control of the vehicle due to speed,\u201d per the release.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s license, police confirmed.<\/p>\n