Claire Corkery has voiced her anguish and condemnation over plans for Scott Gunn, the driver who killed her parents, Thomas and Susan Corkery, to be released early from his 16-year sentence. Gunn struck and killed the couple and their friend's dog on January 20, 2024, as they walked on Thurnham Lane in Bearsted, Kent. The couple were thrown into a hedge upon impact and died at the scene. Gunn, 38, was driving at speeds up to 87 mph in a 60 mph zone in his BMW X5 moments before the collision.
In November 2025, Gunn was found guilty of death by dangerous driving and sentenced to 16 years imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court. The judge noted a lack of remorse from the defendant during the sentencing. Gunn is now among thousands of offenders eligible for early release under a government scheme, with some individuals expected to be freed starting in October. He is eligible to be released more than two and a half years before his sentence was due to conclude, having been ordered to serve a minimum of 10 years and eight months.
Corkery, who was pregnant during Gunn's trial and whose son would have been her parents' first grandchild, expressed her distress. "There's no early release for the life term I'm serving," she stated. "Knowing the man that robbed my parents of the happy retirement they deserved will be rewarded with early release makes me feel sick. Justice was served but now looks to be snatched away."
Her parents, Thomas Corkery, an accountant who was two weeks from retirement, and Susan Corkery, a former nurse, were looking forward to a holiday and their son's wedding. Claire Corkery described her parents as her "moral compass" and "safety net."
Ms. Corkery stated that the trial felt "completely dehumanising" due to Gunn's perceived lack of remorse. "I feel like we could as a family have come to terms with it if he had really acknowledged the pain and loss we had experienced," she said. "It's letting people out early that haven't expressed any remorse or taken accountability for what they have done. It feels so wrong."
Corkery has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to extend exemptions to the early release scheme to include those convicted of death by dangerous driving. She argued that Gunn's early release would convey a message that there are "no consequences" for dangerous drivers. Her plea echoes that of the family of Pc Andrew Harper, who was killed in 2019. His killers, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, are also slated for early release under current rules, though a potential law change might block this by exempting those convicted of 'unlawful act' manslaughter.
It is understood that Gunn intends to appeal his sentence. The Ministry of Justice was contacted for comment.