Sunninghill crash driver jailed for another driving offence

A police officer's son who ran over and killed two men has been jailed for 12 weeks for a separate driving offence.

Max Coopey was 17 when he hit John Shackley, 61, and Jason Imi, 48, in Sunninghill, Berkshire, in August 2018.

Less than two months later Coopey, from Ascot, was caught driving a car despite being disqualified from driving while under investigation.

He was found guilty of driving without a licence and driving without insurance after a trial this month.

The sentencing hearing at Reading Magistrates' Court was told a police officer spotted Coopey, now 18, driving a Renault Clio in Ascot on 19 October 2018.

Coopey had denied he was driving the car claiming it was a case of "mistaken identify".

The court also heard Coopey has previous convictions for driving offences, as well as robbery and handling stolen goods.

Sentencing, Judge Davinder Lachhar said he was a "very lucky young man" with a supportive family who would do anything for him "yet here he is again before the courts".

She added: "You need to learn there are consequences, I have a duty to protect members of the public who use the roads as well."

In January, Coopey was sentenced over the crash in which Mr Shackley and Mr Imi died.

He was given 100 hours of community service and a two-year driving ban after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of drugs.

At an inquest in July, Coopey said he had smoked cannabis about five hours before crashing his father's Audi in Sunninghill.

Mr Shackley, from south Yorkshire, and Mr Imi, from Surrey, both worked in sales with Computacenter and were returning to the Royal Berkshire Hotel from a group dinner when they were hit while crossing the road.