A Snapchat user who was operating an Amazon delivery vehicle and murdered a motorcyclist has been imprisoned.
Daniaal Iqbal, 23, of Toller Lane, Bradford, collided with Peter Rushforth, 56, while driving his van on a country road near Ripon.
Mr. Rushforth was instantaneously killed in the crash in September 2019.
Iqbal was sentenced to three years and six months in prison at York Crown Court on Tuesday after being found guilty of causing a death by reckless driving on August 15.
He was also banned from driving for a period of two years.
Iqbal had just completed a delivery to a farm when, in his Ford Transit van, he approached a corner on Kirby Road and struck Mr. Rushforth, of Ripon, who was riding his GSXR Suzuki motorcycle toward the city.
Despite the Amazon driver’s denials, forensic investigation of his phone by authorities revealed that he had sent a message on Snapchat just seconds prior to the crash.
‘Entirely avoidable’
“Very sadly it’s Peter Rushforth who has paid the price for Daniaal Iqbal’s poor decision-making.
“To lose someone in a traffic collision is devastating, but to know that it was entirely avoidable and was caused by someone who believed sending a message was more important than their safety is galling.”
Iqbal will have to pass an extended driving test to be allowed on the roads again after disqualification expires.
In addition, North Yorkshire Police claimed to have found “unquestionable proof” that Iqbal had been using his phone while driving all along Kirby Road.
“This is yet another deadly incident caused by a driver who refused to listen to the warnings about the risk of using a mobile device while driving and chose to shamelessly flout the law,” Det Sgt Kirsten Aldridge of the force’s major collision investigation team said.
