A man has been found guilty of murder after a trial at Leeds Crown Court, following the death of an Amazon delivery driver who attempted to stop the theft of his van.
Mark Ross, 32, was convicted on Wednesday afternoon after jurors heard how he stole the van and drove it erratically for half a mile with the driver, Claudiu Carol-Kondor, clinging to the side. Ross then deliberately crashed the vehicle into parked cars to dislodge Mr. Kondor, resulting in fatal head and chest injuries.
The incident occurred on August 20 of last year in the Armley area of Leeds. Prosecutor John Harrison KC told the court that Mr. Kondor, 42, had been making a delivery when Ross climbed into the driver’s seat of his silver Transit van. Mr. Kondor tried to stop the theft by opening the passenger door and attempting to get back in.
However, Ross drove off, with the driver hanging onto the side of the van. CCTV footage presented to the court showed Mr. Kondor clinging to the moving van as Ross drove along Wingate Road, at times reaching speeds of almost 60mph in residential streets. Witnesses reported seeing Mr. Kondor’s legs dragging along the ground and hearing his calls for help.
It appears Mr Kondor did not wish to or perhaps could not let go of his van, he did not want the defendant simply to steal it.
Mr. Harrison stated that after failing to shake off Mr. Kondor, Ross intentionally drove into two parked cars. According to the barrister, Ross deliberately turned the steering wheel of the van towards a black car, and when that didn’t work he struck a blue car. The second collision ultimately caused the fatal injuries to Mr. Kondor.
After abandoning the van, Ross met with others, and the parcels inside, which Mr. Kondor had collected from the Amazon depot, were removed. Ross had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but denied the charge of murder, claiming he did not know Mr. Kondor was attached to the vehicle and attributed his erratic driving to road bumps.
In his closing speech, Mr. Harrison asserted that Ross exhibited a “complete disregard and even contempt” for Mr. Kondor’s life, stating the “career criminal” must have been aware of Mr. Kondor’s presence and deemed the driver “expendable.”
Ross claimed to have been a daily cannabis user and had been purchasing drugs and cigarettes when he discovered the unattended van with the engine running and keys inside. He told the jury he did not realize Mr. Kondor was clinging to the side and learned of his death through the internet. Ross admitted to prior van thefts but claimed he had never been involved in anything like this before.
Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle of West Yorkshire Police described Mr. Kondor as a “decent, hard-working man” who was determined not to let Ross take his livelihood. He added that Mr. Kondor’s partner, who came to the UK for work, has since returned to Romania, devastated by his death. Mr. Kondor’s family has also been left heartbroken by his death. Ross is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, March 14.
