Man who avoided jail for killing men in drive smash avoids jail again

Son, 21, of retired Met Police officers who escaped prosecution for killing two men in drug-drive smash avoids jail for a FOURTH time – this time for dealing cannabis

• Max Coopey appeared at Isleworth Crown Court in London this morning  

The son of two retired Met police officers who controversially escaped prosecution for killing two men in a drug-drive smash has been spared jail for the fourth time today. 

Max Coopey, now aged 21, appeared at Isleworth Crown Court in London this morning for a sentence in relation to dealing cannabis, ketamine and Xanax. 

Coopey, admitted to possessing cannabis with the intent to supply after £1,500-£2,000 was found in a car he was driving with his co-defendant Callum Stiles. 

This is the fourth time Coopey has avoided jailed – the first time was in 2018 when he drove into IT sales manager Jason Imi, 48, and his colleague John Shackley, 61, while behind the wheel of his father’s Audi A5. 

The pair, who had been walking back to their hotel from a work night out, were thrown over the vehicle and died at the scene.

Max Coopey (pictured last year), now aged 21, appeared at Isleworth Crown Court in London this morning for a sentence in relation to dealing cannabis, ketamine and Xanax

Coopey’s former Met Police Sergeant father, Russel Coopey, arriving at Reading Magistrates Court back in 2019 

Coopey, who had been driving his Met Sergeant father’s sports car at the time, avoided prisons after a police investigation found he was not criminally liable for the deaths. 

Last year, Coopey was fined after being convicted of stashing £1,000 of cannabis at his family’s £1million home in Ascot. Sparing Coopey jail, District Judge Samuel Goozee told Coopey: ‘you are attempting to turn your life around’.

In February this year, he appeared back in court before Judge Goozee after being caught drug dealing and failing to take a drug test after being stopped by police when driving on July 22 last year.

Judge Goozee spared Coopey jail again, imposing an 18-month community order instead. But he commented that Coopey had ‘an outstanding matter’ pending at the Crown Court.

He warned Coopey: ‘The Crown Court may deal with you in a very different way than I do this afternoon.’

That outstanding matter was dealt with at Isleworth Crown Court this morning, where blonde-haired Coopey appeared for sentence in relation to dealing cannabis, ketamine and xanax.

Callum Morgan, prosecuting, told how Coopey had been driving a car in the afternoon of February 9 last year with his co-defendant, Callum Stiles.

They were stopped by the police who searched the car and found cannabis, the court heard, leading to both men being arrested and their homes being searched.

On 2 August 2018, Coopey, then aged 17 years, was at the wheel of his Met Police sergeant father’s sports car when he drove into John Shackley, 61 (pictured) and sales manager Jason Imi, 48

 IT sales manager Jason Imi, 48, (pictured with his wife Sarah) also died in the smash 

Coopey lives at The Burlings, Ascot, Berkshire, the home of his retired Met Police officer parents. Mr Morgan said Coopey’s address was searched following his arrest and cannabis was discovered.

The total quantity of cannabis attributable to Coopey was between £1,500 – £2,000, the court heard.

The prosecutor said: ‘In interview, Mr Coopey stated the cannabis found and recovered was for his won use. The cash was for amenities. He had no knowledge of the larger bags of cannabis found in the car.’

But Coopey, who already had been convicted of 20 offences between December 2016 and March 2021, later admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply, being concerned in making an offer to supply ketamine and supplying Xanax.

Mr Morgan argued had a ‘significant role’, as an ‘operational function within a chain’.

‘His operational function being collection and supply of cannabis’, Mr Morgan said. ‘A limited function under direction and no influence on those above in the chain.

‘He is the individual selling drugs directly to users.’

Stiles, 25, of Whitton Waye in Hounslow, west London, admitted being in possession of a class B drug.

The court heard he had 10 previous convictions and was in breach of a 24-month suspended sentence imposed in August 2019 at Kingston Crown Court for possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

But Mr Recorder James Lofthouse told both defendants he would spare them jail, adding: ‘You may count yourselves lucky.

‘Not every judge would necessarily have taken that view’, the recorder said. ‘You need to understand that and think about that in the future.’

The judge heard from probation that Coopey had been generally complying with the community order he received this February, but with ‘a few violations of his curfew’.

Mr Recorder Lofthouse told Coopey: ‘This was a substantial quantity of cannabis. More importantly, your offering on this occasion is seriously aggravated by similar previous offending. You also have convictions for a host of other offences, some serious ones.

‘You are young and I bear that in mind, but you are also someone who has been given intervention after intervention to assist you.

You do have and have had the benefit of a stable home. But you have been drawn back to this offending like moths are to the flame.

‘You can only trot out the same mitigation so many times and the well is running dry in your case, whatever problems you have had in the past.

‘In my view, today the last drop has been extracted from that well.’

The court heard from a lawyer representing Coopey that he had received conditional offers to study marketing at university, so long as he obtained a qualification in maths.

‘You do have realistic ambitions which you are trying, to your credit, to pursue’, the judge told Coopey. ‘I am going to give you that opportunity.’

Coopey was given an eight-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

The judge told Stiles he was fortunate that, despite police finding scales and snap bags at his home address, he had been charged with possession only.

‘It would be unjust to activate the suspended sentence for what amounts to simply possession of four grams’, the judge said. Instead he fined Stiles £300.

As the defendants left the dock, the judge said: ‘Make sure we do not see you again.’

Responding to a request for comment over this latest incident, the Met said in relation to Coopey’s parents: ‘Both officers are no longer serving in the MPS having retired earlier in 2022.

‘Appropriate disclosures were made to the Met. There is no related disciplinary action being taken.’

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