Disqualified driver jailed after his ‘selfish’ actions killed his partner in crash near Harborough

Her family paid tribute to the young mother, saying: "We will never see that fun loving mum playing and watching her daughter grow up" Watch more of our videos on Shots! and live on Freeview channel 276

A disqualified driver has been jailed after his 'selfish' actions killed his partner in a road traffic collision near Market Harborough. Steven Michael Gaskell, formerly of Fotheringhay Road, Corby, was sentenced to five years and two months in prison at Northampton Crown Court, where he was also disqualified from driving for a further two years after his release from prison.

At an earlier court appearance in November last year, Gaskell pleaded guilty causing the death of 23-year-old Courtney Donnelly of Corby after getting behind the wheel despite knowing that he had been disqualified from driving.

At about 10.30pm on Sunday, September 17, 2023, Gaskell was driving with mum-of-one Courtney on the A427 from Corby towards Market Harborough in a black MINI Cooper car, which he had purchased via Facebook Marketplace earlier that day. Just prior to the village of Brampton Ash, the 31-year-old lost control of the MINI causing it to clip the nearside verge, cross the carriageway and leave the road before rolling several times and coming to rest in a field. A passing motorist, who the prosecution praised for his "courageous and commendable" actions, spotted the car in the field, and called the police.

When officers arrived, they found Gaskell trapped in the driver's seat and he had to be extracted from the car by the fire service. Despite the efforts of officers and paramedics, Courtney, who was in the front passenger seat, sadly died at the scene and a subsequent post-mortem found this was as a result of the catastrophic head injuries she had sustained in the collision. Police checks at the scene revealed Gaskell was disqualified from driving until August 2024, and he was arrested before being escorted by officers to University Hospital Coventry, where he was treated for several fractures and a head injury.

During a search of the car, Class B drugs were found in a bag in the footwell along with a small quantity of pills. Two mobile phones were also recovered which once downloaded indicated Gaskell was actively dealing drugs. Following an investigation by Northamptonshire Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, Gaskell was charged with causing death by disqualified driving, possession with intent to supply cannabis and driving with no insurance.

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 of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, 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. "Reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads remains the priority for Northamptonshire Police and our partners at the Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance, and I'm pleased the courts have dealt with this driver robustly."

Tragically in 2022, after being involved in a road collision in Northamptonshire, 36 people never returned home safely to their loved ones, and 347 required urgent medical assistance for serious and life-changing injuries.

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