Drug dealer jailed for killing girlfriend in Mini Cooper he bought on Facebook marketplace

ITV News Anglia's Ravneet Nandra reports on Courtney Donnelly's mother and her calls for justice for her daughter.

A drug dealer has been jailed for killing his girlfriend in a crash just hours after buying the Mini Cooper from Facebook Marketplace.

Steven Gaskell, 31, from Corby, who was a disqualified driver, came off the A427 near Brampton Ash in Northamptonshire, killing young mum Courtney Donnelly.

Ms Donnelly's mother has condemned the length of the sentence given to Gaskell, saying he would be out of in two years as she endures a lifetime of grief.

The court heard that Gaskell was driving the young mum from Corby towards Market Harborough in the black Mini Cooper at 10.30pm on 17 September last year.

He lost control and clipped the verge, causing the car to veer across the road and roll several times before landing in a field.

When officers arrived, they found Gaskell trapped in the driver’s seat with several fractures and a head injury.

Ms Donnelly, 23, who was in the front passenger seat, died at the scene from catastrophic head injuries despite the efforts of emergency services.

Gaskell admitted being at the wheel despite being a disqualified driver and was sentenced to five years and two months in prison at Northampton Crown Court.

Ms Donnelly's family said she had been a devoted mother to her two-year-old young daughter and they were devastated by her death.

Her mother Mandy Donnelly said she found two police officers on her doorstep at 11pm that night to tell her the terrible news.

"He said 'there's been an accident'. When he said your daughter's gone I fell to my knees and I was just hanging on to his jacket. I just collapsed.

"Everything ended that night, ended - I am so broken. I just feel for all the other mothers who've lost children.... She everything she was my daughter, she was a sister, she was a mummy, she's been robbed of that.

"She was an amazing mum and she was everything to me. You might as well take my heart out. She wasn't just my daughter, she was my best friend and my soul mate."

She criticised the length of sentence given to Gaskell, adding: "Where is the justice? He'll be walking the streets in two years and I've got to live every day with this grief that hurts so bad."

Police checks at the scene of the crash revealed Gaskell was disqualified from driving until August 2024, and he was arrested before being taken to University Hospital Coventry.

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 showed 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 Ms Donnelly's family was read to the court.

In it, her family shared how they had been left devastated and in pain following her death.

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.”

Det Con Eleanor Hudson condemned Gaskell's actions, saying he had disregarded the sanctions imposed by a court by driving the car.

She said: “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."

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