Two in court over Coventry crash that killed brothers
A man and a woman have been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with causing the deaths of two young brothers in a suspected hit-and-run crash in Coventry. Robert Brown, 53, and Gwendoline Harrison, 41, face two counts of causing death by dangerous driving after Corey and Casper Platt-May, aged six and two, were killed in the collision on Thursday, West Midlands Police said.
Mr Brown, of Attwood Crescent, in Wyken, also faces charges of driving while disqualified, no insurance and otherwise than in accordance with a licence. Ms Harrison, of Triumph Close, also in Wyken, faces a further common assault allegation.
During a court appearance at Coventry Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Mr Brown shouted “this is a fucking kangaroo court” and called the judge a “fucking prick”. They were remanded into custody and the case has been adjourned until a further hearing at Warwick Crown Court on 22 March.
It comes after the boys’ mother, Louise Platt-May, who was unhurt in the incident, paid tribute to her “amazing”, “passionate” and “cheeky sons”.
“Corey was an amazing boy. He never kept still, always had to be doing something and coming up with new ideas of things to do... he will be deeply missed by all that had the pleasure of knowing him,” she said. “Casper was a cheeky little boy, always getting into trouble and driving his brothers crazy. But he was so loving and caring and constantly told his family how much he loved them... his smile could light up any room and he will be so so missed by all who knew him.”
The boys’ grandfather, Kim May, who saw the aftermath of the crash, said: “It was just like a war zone out here. It looked like a bomb had just exploded, it was terrible.” Paying tribute to his grandsons, he added: “The boys were the heart and soul, the boys were lovely, they’d do anything. They were just very happy, go-jolly, lovely boys and their lives have been taken away so young, it’s unbelievable.
“I just don’t know what to say, it’s just crazy. Corey was a very, very gifted footballer at a young age. Casper, he was like any two-year-old – he was just lovely. Corey, he loved his football, he played football every Saturday.”
The brothers were with their mother at around 2pm on Thursday when they were struck by a black Ford Focus. They were taken to hospital with severe injuries but both later died.