Disqualified Driver Jailed For Killing Partner In Crash Near Market Harborough

A disqualified driver has been jailed for five years and two months after his actions killed his partner in a crash near Market Harborough.

Steven Gaskell was driving with Courtney Donnelly on the A427 when he lost control in Brampton Ash on the evening of September the 17th last year.

The Mini Cooper car, which he had bought via Facebook Marketplace for £400 earlier that day, left the carriageway before rolling several times and coming to rest in a field.

Courtney from Corby, who was 23 and had a young daughter, was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering catastrophic head injuries.

Steven Gaskell

Just 24 days earlier, Gaskell had been given a suspended prison term after being caught on the A14 behind the wheel of a vehicle he had stolen and had previously been found driving a further six times while banned.

Gaskell, 31, formally of Fortheringhay Road in Corby, admitted causing death by disqualified driving and having no insurance.

He also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis after drugs were found in the car.

Gaskell was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court yesterday, where he also received a further two-year driving ban to take effect on his release.

Courtney Donnelly

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.”

Floral tributes beside the A427 where the crash happened

Lead investigator, Detective Constable Eleanor Hudson from Northamptonshire Police’s 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.”