Disqualified Corby driver who killed partner in crash is jailed

Northamptonshire Police said Steven Gaskell "robbed a woman of her future and her daughter of a mummy"

A disqualified driver has been jailed for more than five years following a crash that killed a young mother.

Steven Gaskell, 31, was driving a black Mini Cooper on the A427 from Corby to Market Harborough when he crashed near Brampton Ash, Northamptonshire.

His partner, Courtney Donnelly, 23, who was a passenger, died at the scene.

Gaskell, from Fotheringhay Road, Corby, admitted causing his partner's death by driving while disqualified and was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court.

He was given four years and 10 months in prison for the driving offence and a further four months for possessing drugs with intent to supply. He will also be banned from driving for two years after he leaves prison.

Northampton Crown Court was told on Thursday that Gaskell was driving along the main road at about 22:30 BST on 17 September last year when the crash happened.

Ms Donnelly, described as a "loving single mother" to her daughter, was sitting in the passenger seat of the Mini, which had been purchased on Facebook Marketplace earlier that day.

Courtney Donnelly was a "fantastic mummy" to her daughter, her family said

As they approached the village of Brampton Ash, Gaskell lost control of the car and it clipped the nearside verge, crossing the carriageway and leaving the road.

The vehicle rolled over several times and came to rest in a field.

Gaskell had to be cut out of the wrecked car and was taken to hospital, but Ms Donnelly died at the scene.

When police checked Gaskell's licence, they discovered he had been disqualified from driving until August 2024.

They found Class B drugs in the footwell of his car, along with two mobile phones which revealed he had been actively dealing in drugs.

The fatal crash happened near Brampton Ash on the A427

A victim impact statement from Ms Donnelly's family was read to the court during the sentencing hearing.

It said: "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."

The lead investigator for Northamptonshire Police, Det Con Eleanor Hudson, said Gaskell "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," she said.

"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."