A young driver, only a day after passing his driving test, expressed remorse by saying, “What have I done, I’ve killed my best friend,” immediately following a fatal crash, as revealed in court proceedings. Corey Owen Cooper, now 19 years old, was sentenced to five years in prison for causing the death of 17-year-old Josh Atkins and injuring another friend, Gabe Wiggett, due to dangerous driving. The incident occurred in the Stannington area of Sheffield on November 11, 2023, when all three teenagers, including Cooper, were 17 years old.
During the trial at Sheffield Crown Court, it was disclosed that Cooper had engaged in reckless driving behavior, such as performing wheel spins, or “doughnuts,” in a car park earlier that evening. The prosecution mentioned that the car was speeding at approximately 53mph in a 20mph zone on Myers Grove Lane before Cooper lost control and collided with a metal barrier on a bend.
Witnesses reported that the car accelerated rapidly on a straight stretch of road, with one observer stating that they lost sight of the vehicle due to its speed. The car eventually overturned, and Cooper, covered in blood, was found near the wreckage, lamenting, “What have I done, what have I done, I’ve killed my best friend.”
Earlier that evening, Cooper was seen driving at high speeds, with reports of reaching about 80mph near Bradfield School in Worrall. Witnesses also mentioned Cooper performing wheel spins in a car park in Lodge Moor, where dashboard warning lights indicated a fault with the ABS system prior to the crash.
During sentencing, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC emphasized the consequences of Cooper’s reckless driving, highlighting the loss of a young life and the permanent injuries inflicted on another friend. The judge condemned Cooper’s actions as a display of “immaturity on a grand scale” and characterized his driving as “truly appalling,” labeling the incident as a “human tragedy in every dimension.”
