A former detective chief inspector has been sentenced to three years and seven months in prison for causing death by dangerous driving. Michael Cooper, 55, killed educational psychologist James Bane when he lost consciousness at the wheel of an unmarked police car in September 2021.
Cooper's vehicle veered off the road, striking a woman before crashing into parked cars and crushing Mr. Bane between two vehicles. Mr. Bane, a father of two, suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene in Etwall, Derbyshire. The woman who was also hit sustained serious injuries and continues to experience pain and psychological distress.
Nottingham Crown Court heard that Cooper had a nearly 20-year history of unexplained blackouts. A consultant neurologist had advised him 12 years prior to the incident not to drive and to report his condition to the DVLA, a directive he failed to follow. Cooper had also expressed concerns to doctors about driving, swimming, or working at heights due to these blackouts, which are thought to be related to cardiac issues like Stokes-Adams syndrome or epilepsy.
Despite these warnings and his own concerns, Cooper continued to drive, a fact highlighted by the prosecution as demonstrating a "dangerous risk every time that he got into the driver’s seat." Cooper pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He had previously denied the charges.
Cooper resigned from the police force in 2024 and was disqualified from driving for five years. Judge Mr. Justice Sweeting described Cooper's actions as showing a "callous disregard of the potential danger he posed" and called the death of Mr. Bane a "wholly avoidable tragedy."
Mr. Bane's wife, Catherine, described her husband as "thoughtful, dedicated, respected and greatly missed," stating that his death shattered their shared dreams and future. She also noted a lack of contrition from Cooper.