Teenager sentenced to five years for causing death of 17-year-old friend by dangerous driving

A teenager has been sentenced to five years in a young offenders institution for causing the death of a 17-year-old by dangerous driving - just one day after he had passed his test.

Josh Atkins died after the car he was travelling in - driven by friend Corey Cooper - crashed into a barrier on a country road in the Stannington area of Sheffield in November 2023.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Cooper, also 17 at the time, was speeding in the 20mph zone and had failed to notice a warning light about a fault with the car's brakes.

Cooper, now 19, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and seriously injuring a second passenger, Gabe Wiggett, by dangerous driving.

Ian West, prosecuting, said police estimated the car, Cooper's grandfather's Fiat Grande Punto, was travelling at about 53mph in a 20mph area of Myers Grove Lane, shortly before the defendant lost control on a bend and collided with a metal barrier.

He quoted a girl in a car which was following, who said that when they came across Cooper's Fiat, it was on its roof, with the defendant standing by it, covered in blood, saying: "What have I done, what have I done, I've killed my best friend."

Earlier that evening, Mr West said, Cooper had been driving at speeds of around 80mph past Bradfield School, in the village of Worrall, and performing wheel spins, or "doughnuts", in a car park in the Lodge Moor area of the city, according to a friend.

Mother can't forgive

Speaking to Sky News, Josh's mother, Tracy, said she will "never forgive" Cooper for what he has done.

"I've got mixed emotions. I think a lot of people think, 'why don't you hate him?' I feel worse now, having seen the evidence. What he's done to our family, it's just destroyed it," she said.

"It's just me and Olivia [Josh's sister] at home - or, it doesn't feel like a home now. He's got to pay for what he's done. He's just destroyed any family we had."

Recalling the moment she saw her son on life support, Ms Atkins said: "I don't think it felt real. I wasn't expecting to see what I saw when I got to hospital. As soon as I walked in and saw Josh, I knew he'd gone. I knew that was it."

Father's stroke 'due to stress'

The impact on Josh's family was huge.

The crash happened on his father, Gavin's, birthday, the court heard, and just months after the collision, his dad suffered a stroke, which the family believes was brought on by stress related to Josh's death.

"It totally destroyed our family. It's destroyed Gavin. We only get little snippets of the old Gavin. He just wants to be with Josh," Ms Atkins said.

Family demands reform

Ms Atkins and Josh's aunt, Claire Chapman, are now calling on the government to include extra measures in the upcoming Road Safety Strategy.

These include graduated or "phased" driving licences, which delay full driving privileges for new drivers to help them gain experience under lower-risk conditions.

"He was Josh's friend. And he had only passed his test the day before the collision," said Ms Chapman.

"The very, very day he [Cooper] passed his test, he was driving erratically. And in terms of the graduated driving licence, had that been in place, Josh would still be alive now. Why would you not do something that can avoid that tragedy for other families?"

Catastrophic injuries

While Cooper survived, Josh suffered catastrophic injuries.

His life support was kept on for several days, as his heart, liver and kidneys were to be donated - saving the lives of four other people.

"Because he was going to be an organ donor, they then had to assemble the teams across the country… and it actually gave us longer with Josh," said Ms Chapman.

"Lots and lots of friends came to see him on life support. The hospital were phenomenal, they never said there was too many people here."

Ms Atkins said they hope to one day meet those now living with Josh's organs.

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"You tend to forget about that side of it. I have to keep reminding myself. Part of Josh is out there. We've heard from all four donors and the one that's got his heart, he's got a family where the daughter's the same age as Josh. So that's lovely to hear that he's still with his family because of Josh."

She said Josh had "a heart of gold".

"It's everywhere we go. I've got so many memories, no matter where I go, Josh is there. I miss him so much."

'Truly appalling driving'

Sentencing Cooper, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told him he had been driving "deplorably, almost certainly trying to show off to friends.

"In consequence of your driving too fast, that young man - you - killed a friend and maimed another friend.

"A young life has been ended. Another two lives have been ruined. For what? Showing off to friends."

The judge said it was "truly appalling driving" and Cooper displayed "immaturity on a grand scale".

He added: "This case depicts human tragedy in every dimension."

(c) Sky News 2025: Teenager sentenced to five years for causing death of 17-year-old friend by dangerous driving