Driver said ‘I’ve killed my best friend’ after crashing a day after passing test

A young driver who killed a passenger in his car the day after he passed his driving test said “what have I done, I’ve killed my best friend” immediately after the crash, a court has heard.

Corey Owen Cooper was jailed for five years on Friday for causing the death of Josh Atkins by dangerous driving and also seriously injuring another friend, Gabe Wiggett, by a judge who said he was “driving a car deplorably, almost certainly trying to show off to friends”.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how all three teenagers in the car were 17 when Cooper, now 19, crashed his granddad’s Fiat Grande Punto car in the Stannington area of Sheffield on November 11 2023.

Ian West, prosecuting, said police estimated the car 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.

Mr West said a girl in a car which was following said the Fiat “just shot off” when it reached a straight section of road, adding: “He went that fast we lost sight of him.”

He said the girl described coming across the the car on its roof, with the defendant covered in blood, standing by it saying: “What have I done, what have I done, I’ve killed my best friend.”

The prosecutor described how Cooper had been driving at speed earlier in the evening, with one of his friends saying they thought he was driving at about 80mph past Bradfield School, in the village of Worrall.

He said the defendant was also performing wheel spins in a car park in the Lodge Moor area of the city, as he relaxed with friends.

Mr West said friends also noted that the Fiat’s dashboard warning lights were “lit up like a Christmas tree” for 90 minutes before the crash, and this was because the ABS system was not working properly.

The court heard that Josh died on his dad Gavin’s birthday.

Sentencing Cooper, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told him: “This case should be called to the attention of all young people who have just passed the driving test.

“It is a case of a young man aged 17, as you were, driving a car 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.”

Published: 07/11/2025 by Radio NewsHub