Police have ruled out a fresh probe into the son of two officers who mowed down two people with a sports car while he was high on drugs.
Thames Valley Police had been forced to review the case after Max Coopey, 18, gave evidence at an inquest which conflicted with police findings.
Coopey killed father-of-three Jason Imi, 48, and his colleague John Shackley, 61, as they were walking back from dinner in Ascot, Berkshire in August 2018.
At an inquest last July, he claimed that he had seen the two men down the A329 London Road near Sunninghill and braked for three seconds.
This was accepted by the coroner, and cast doubt on the findings of Thames Valley’s forensics collision investigator PC Adrian White.
But today, Thames Valley Police ruled out conducting a fresh probe into the incident after PC White concluded that Coopey’s evidence was mistaken.
Max Coopey (left), 18, killed two men while driving a sports car in August 2018. His officer parents Russel (right) and Catherine Cooper were investigated for allegedly ‘turning a blind eye’ to their son’s drug habits, and were cleared with no case to answer
A force spokesman said: ‘Following the inquest Thames Valley Police identified it appropriate to consider the evidence provided by Coopey at the inquest.
‘This new information was provided to the Forensic Collision Investigator to review.
‘His conclusion was that, given the physical evidence at the scene, Coopey’s account at inquest was unlikely to have happened as he described.
‘As no new evidence was forthcoming there was no further review of the case by CPS into the cause of the collision. The original decision to charge with the offence of Driving whilst over the Prescribed Drug Limit remained the correct charge.
‘Thames Valley Police and the Crown Prosecution Service remain in agreement that there is no new evidence to support any further proceedings against Coopey in respect of the deaths of Jason Imi and John Shackley.’
At the July 8 inquest, PC White said he carried out a test at the scene of the collision by getting into a black Audi car and driving down the same stretch of road.
By getting one police officer wearing dark clothing to stand still down the A329 London Road, PC White told the inquest he concluded that Coopey could not have seen the men until he was within at least 10 metres (33ft) of them.
John Shackley (pictured), 61, was killed by Coopey while walking home with his colleague Jason Imi in Ascot, Berkshire in August 2018
This would have given Coopey, who had a combination of cannabis and codeine in his system, less than a second to react, making the collision unavoidable.
When challenged by Nicholas Hinchcliffe QC on his findings, PC White said his report had been ‘peer-reviewed’ and that ‘science isn’t wrong’.
Alison McCormick, the assistant coroner for Berkshire, had accepted Coopey’s version of events but concluded the crash was a ‘road traffic accident’.
She said she could not be sure beyond reasonable doubt that Coopey was speeding or that the drugs in his system impacted his driving.
Last year the 18-year-old, whose parents are Metropolitan Police officers, was given a 12-week custodial sentence and conviction for driving while disqualified. He served just over one week in jail before being freed on bail.
His officer parents Russel and Catherine Coopey were also investigated amid accusations they ‘turned a blind eye’ to their son’s drug habits while he lived at their £1million Ascot home. They were cleared with no case to answer.
Jason Imi (pictured with his wife Sarah), 48, was killed by Coopey while walking home with his colleague John Shackley in Ascot, Berkshire in August 2018
Following the findings of the TVP review, Inspector Andy Storey, Head of the Joint Operations Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: ‘This was a tragic case involving the deaths of two men, Jason Imi and John Shackley.
‘Throughout the investigation Thames Valley Police has thoroughly followed all lines of enquiry resulting in a successful conviction at court.
‘We have now reviewed the evidence in light of the inquest with oversight from the CPS and we can confirm that there remain no further lines of inquiry for us to investigate with regards to the deaths of Mr Imi and Mr Shackley.
‘We are aware of the devastating impact that this incident has had on the families of both men and we continue to offer our deepest sympathies over their loss.’
Coopey was due to appear in Reading Crown Court where he was appealing against his conviction for driving while disqualified two months after the double fatal crash.
Source: Daily Mail – Articles
