Disqualified driver jailed after causing crash that killed his girlfriend near Market Harborough

A man has been jailed for causing the death of his girlfriend in a crash. Despite being banned from driving until August 2024, Steven Gaskell, 31, had been to buy a new Mini Cooper and was driving it towards Market Harborough[1] on the A427 through the village of Brampton Ash when he lost control, crashing into a field where the vehicle rolled several times. Mum-of-one Courtney Donnelly, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene from severe head injuries.

Gaskell, who suffered head injuries and broken bones, had to be cut free from the vehicle by firefighters and was taken to hospital. The crash, at about 10.30pm on Sunday, September 17 last year, was attended by Northamptonshire Police. A court heard that Inside the vehicle, officers found cannabis and there was evidence on his phone that Gaskell, of Fotheringhay Road, Corby, had been dealing the drug.

In November last year, Gaskell pleaded guilty causing death by driving while disqualified, possession with intent to supply of cannabis and driving with no insurance. On Thursday (January 11) he was jailed at Northampton Crown Court[3] for five years and two months, with his disqualification extended to two years after his release from prison. At his sentencing hearing, a victim impact statement from Courtney's family was read to the court.

In it, her family shared how they had been left devastated and in pain following the death of the young mother, daughter, sister, and niece. The statement said: "Courtney was a loving single mother who always put her daughter first, caring for her with love and responsibility. Together with her daughter's nanny, that child was adored beyond measure.

"Courtney was the perfect sister and a great daughter. How can a parent ever come to terms with the loss of their daughter and the horrific incident which occurred that night? "We will never hear Courtney's voice again.

We will never see that beautiful smile that would light up a room. We will never see that fun loving mum playing and watching her daughter grow up." Lead investigator Detective Constable Eleanor Hudson said: "Steven Gaskell has clearly demonstrated a total disregard for the sanctions imposed by the court as he knew that he was not entitled to be driving yet still chose to do so.

"His selfish decision to continue to get behind the wheel of a car not only robbed a young woman of her future but also her young daughter of her mummy. Courtney was a much-loved daughter, and her death has left her family devastated and heartbroken. "Through his own fault, Gaskell will live with the consequences of the decisions he made on that night.

Not only the impact it has had on his partner, her daughter and family but his own life too."

References

1. ^ Market Harborough (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
2. ^ Groom's brother beat up best man at wedding in Melton (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
3. ^ Northampton Crown Court (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)