UK Trucker Jailed 10 Years for Fatal Crash While Distracted by Porn on Phone
Judge slams driver’s “mind-blowingly stupid” actions that killed devoted father of two
A veteran truck driver has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after causing a fatal crash while distracted by his phone, which was displaying pornographic images.
Neil Platt, 43, from Bootle, was driving from Scotland to Liverpool in May 2024 when he slammed into traffic on the M58 in Lancashire. His truck struck a Hyundai Kona driven by 46-year-old father-of-two Danny Aitchison, whose vehicle was pushed into a tanker and erupted in flames. Aitchison, who was on the phone with his partner at the time, died instantly.
Investigators revealed Platt had repeatedly used WhatsApp, X, YouTube, and TikTok throughout his three-hour journey. Seconds before the crash, naked photos appeared on his social media feed. Although Platt insisted he only checked his phone for journey progress, Judge Ian Unsworth KC said he had chosen to prioritize his phone over road safety, calling his actions “arrogant” and “mind-blowingly stupid.”
“You were not paying attention to what was ahead, but to your phone,” the judge told him. “You were a multi-ton accident waiting to happen.”
In court, Aitchison’s grieving partner, Kerry, recalled being on the phone with him moments before the line went dead. “He was just coming home to me and the kids. Their hero has gone,” she said. Their daughter, Ella, remembered her father as “a good man driven by family and a pure love of life.”
Platt, described by his attorney as remorseful and self-hating, will serve two-thirds of his sentence and face a seven-year driving ban after release.
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