Mark Ross slammed the stolen van into parked cars in an attempt to shake the van driver off, leaving him fatally injured
A thief has been found guilty of murder after he tried to steal a delivery driver’s van and sped off with him clinging to the side of it.
Amazon delivery driver Claudiu Carol-Kondor died from head and chest injuries after Mark Ross slammed the van into parked vehicles in an effort to shake him off.
During a trial at Leeds Crown Court, jurors heard that Ross, 32, stole the silver Transit van by climbing into the driver’s seat while Mr Kondor was delivering a parcel in the Armley area of Leeds on August 20 last year.
Prosecutor John Harrison KC told the court that Mr Kondor, 42, tried to stop him by opening the front passenger door and attempting to climb in.
However, Ross drove off leaving Mr Kondor “hanging on” to the vehicle, the court heard.
The court heard the driver clung onto the side of the van for half a mile while Ross “swerved and sped” to try and “get rid” of him, hitting speeds of almost 60mph on residential streets.
CCTV footage played in court showed Mr Kondor hanging onto the moving van through the open door as Ross drove along Wingate Road. Witnesses described seeing his legs dragging along the ground, with one woman saying she heard him shouting “Help”.
Mr Harrison said: “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.”
The court heard Ross eventually slammed the van into parked cars in an effort to shake Mr Kondor off. “After speeding and swerving failed to get rid of Mr Kondor, the defendant deliberately drove into collision with two parked cars,” Mr Harrison said.
The barrister said Ross “deliberately” turned the steering wheel of the van towards a black car parked on the side of the road, and when that did not knock Mr Kondor free from the van, he “tried again”.
Mr Harrison told the court: “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 Kondor.”
The court heard after driving away, Ross met up with some other people and the contents of the van, which was filled with parcels Mr Kondor had picked up from the Amazon depot, were removed.
Ross previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but denied the charge of murder, claiming he did not realise that Mr Kondor was hanging onto the van. He also claimed he lost control of the vehicle due to speed bumps on the road.
However, a jury found the defendant guilty of murder on Wednesday afternoon.
In his closing speech, Mr Harrison said Ross showed a “complete disregard and even contempt” for Mr Kondor’s life.
He said the “career criminal” must have realised Mr Kondor, who was wearing a high-viz jacket, was there, but made the choice that the driver was “expendable”.
Ross, of Conference Road, Armley, told the jury how 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.”
He claimed he was unaware Mr Kondor had attached himself to the side of the vehicle and only found out about the death of Mr Kondor through the internet.
Ross 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”.
The defendant will be sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, March 14.
Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “Claudiu was a decent, hard-working man, and it’s clear he was determined not to let Ross take his livelihood. For half a mile he bravely clung to the open door as Ross swerved the van around at speed before deliberately crashing, leaving him fatally injured.
“Claudiu came to the UK from Romania to make a better life for himself. He was described by his work colleagues as being not just a dedicated and valued member of their team but a friend and a confidant. He was also a familiar friendly face to the many people he delivered to.
“His partner, who had also come to the UK for work, has since returned to Romania now seeing no future here. She and Claudiu’s family have been left utterly devastated by his death.
“It is truly heart-breaking that the life of an honest hard-working man has been snatched away by the cruel and callous actions of Mark Ross.”
