ROBERT Brown, who killed young brothers Corey and Casper Platt-May while speeding and on cocaine, has died in prison.
A spokesman for Serco, which manages the prison where Brown was serving his sentence, said: “We can confirm a prisoner died yesterday (Christmas Day) at HMP Dovegate and, as is normal, the death will be subject to a coroner’s investigation.”
Brown was initially sentenced to nine years at Warwick Crown Court in April for causing the deaths of Corey and Casper, aged six and two respectively, after pleading guilty.
At just after 2pm on February 22 in Longfellow Road, Coventry, the youngsters, who were with their mother, were hit by a black Ford Focus doing 61mph in a residential street.
The deaths shocked Coventry and the nation.
Driver Brown drove off before abandoning the car in nearby Hipswell Highway, but he and his passenger Gwendoline Harrison were arrested shortly afterwards.
Harrison was released after serving only weeks in prison, prompting further outcry about the leniency of the sentences the pair received.
At a previous hearing, Brown, 53, of Attwood Crescent, Wyken, Coventry, also pleaded guilty to driving the Focus while disqualified, having no insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with his licence.
Tests later revealed Brown to have exceeded the legal threshold for driving with cocaine in his system by more than nine times.
Father Reece Platt-May committed suicide while on holiday in Greece months after his two sons were killed.
The Court of Appeal increased Brown’s sentence from nine years to ten-and-a-half.
Speaking after the appeal hearing, the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, said: “This was an atrocious offence, which Corey and Casper’s family will likely never recover from.
“Brown had an overwhelming history of similar offences, and he deserved to be jailed for longer.”
Following the original sentence, there were calls – including from Corey and Casper’s mother Louise – for Brown to receive a life sentence.
In response to the Court of Appeal ruling, Louise , 28, said: “The events of that day and having to witness your children die in front of you is something that our family will never get over.”
