Overview
- Gabriel Cousins pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court and received two years’ imprisonment suspended for two years, 300 hours of unpaid work, a three‑year driving ban, and £1,000 in costs.
- The December 2022 collision near Haydon Bridge injured five people, including an Audi driver with fractures to his shoulder, arm and pelvis and his partner with a brain bleed and lung clot.
- Cousins told police he had drifted off and likely fallen asleep before his BMW crossed into oncoming traffic and struck two cars head‑on.
- Judge Tom Moran said the crash resulted from momentary sleep at the wheel and warned the case could easily have involved multiple fatalities, stressing the dangers of driving while tired.
- The court was told Cousins holds a highly specialised RAF role, his promotion prospects have been paused, and internal disciplinary proceedings are expected, factors the judge noted alongside a low risk of reoffending.