1 month ago
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A thief has been found guilty of murder after killing an Amazon delivery driver who was trying to stop him from stealing his van.
Mark Ross climbed into Claudiu Carol-Kondor’s van while he was delivering a parcel and tried to drive away, with the rightful owner clinging onto the van from the open passenger door.
Ross deliberately crashed into parked cars, swerved erratically and drove at almost 60mph on residential streets to knock Mr Carol-Kondor off the van.
The delivery driver, 42, died from head and chest injuries caused by the second crash into a parked vehicle.
Ross pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder, claiming he didn’t know Mr Carol-Kondor was hanging onto the van and speed bumps caused him to lose control of the vehicle.
But the jury at Leeds crown court found him guilty of murder today by a majority of 10 to 1.
Mr Carol-Kondor, who lived in Sheffield, was pronounced dead at the scene last August 20.
His employers, SP Transport Group, described him as ‘more than just a colleague – he was a friend, a confidant and a valued member of our team’.
His family listened to the verdict via a video link to court.
Mr Carol-Kondor was delivering parcels for Amazon in the Armley area of Leeds using his own silver Transit van.
While he was away from his vehicle, Ross, who lived nearby, climbed into the driver’s seat and started to drive off.
Prosecutor John Harrison KC said: ‘The evidence suggests Mr Carol-Kondor tried to stop him by opening the front nearside passenger door of the van and attempting to climb in.
‘Unfortunately his actions did not prevent the defendant from driving away, with Mr Carol-Kondor hanging on to his van.’
CCTV footage showed Mr Carol-Kondor hanging onto the moving van through an open door as Ross drove away.
‘It appears Mr Carol-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 said.
Witnesses described Mr Carol-Kondor’s legs dragging on the ground as he clung onto the inside of the open door, with one woman saying she heard him shouting for help.
Mr Harrison added: ‘After speeding and swerving failed to get rid of Mr Carol-Kondor, the defendant deliberately drove into collision with two parked cars.’
He said Ross ‘deliberately’ turned the steering wheel of the van towards a black car parked on the side of the road, and when that didn’t work he ‘tried again’.
‘The second collision was with a blue car which caused damage to the van, to the parked car and most significantly, caused fatal head and chest injuries to Mr Carol-Kondor,’ Mr Harrison said.
After driving away, Ross met up with other people and took the remaining parcels in the van.
Mr Harrison said Ross showed a ‘complete disregard and even contempt’ for his victim’s life.
He said the ‘career criminal’ must have realised Mr Carol-Kondor, who was wearing a high-viz jacket, was there, but made the choice that he was ‘expendable’.
Ross, 32 and of Conference Road, Armley, said he had been a daily cannabis user since he was a child and had been out buying drugs and cigarette papers when he came across the van with no driver.
He said: ‘It wasn’t ’til I got the van I saw it was unattended, and keys were in it, and the engine was running.
‘I basically jumped in it and drove it off.’
His barrister Simon Kealey KC asked him: ‘We’re you ever aware of anyone on the passenger side of the vehicle, on the door on the outside?’
He answered: ‘No.’
Ross said he later found out about the death of Mr Carol-Kondor through the internet.
He admitted stealing vans previously, but said he had ‘never been involved in anything like this before’, adding ‘I would have stopped the van and run off if I had known he was there’.
Ross is due to be sentenced on Friday.
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