Thief who drove off as Amazon driver tried to hold on to van found guilty of his murder

12 March 2025, 14:40 | Updated: 12 March 2025, 15:10

A thief who tried to steal an Amazon driver's van has been found guilty of his murder.

Claudiu Carol-Kondor, 42, tried to stop the theft by holding on to the van but was killed as it was driven away by Mark Ross.

Ross deliberately crashed into a stationary Mini to knock him from the vehicle as he sped off, fleeing the scene from where Mr Carol-Kondor had been delivering a parcel.

Ross reached speeds of almost 60mph on residential streets in Leeds on 20 August last year and swerved erratically from side to side before hitting two parked cars.

Mr Kondor hung on to the vehicle from the open passenger door but died from head and chest injuries as a result of the second crash.

Ross pleaded guilty to manslaughter and denied murdering Mr Kondor but on Wednesday a jury at Leeds Crown Court found Ross guilty of murder.

Mr Kondor was delivering parcels in Leeds using his own silver Transit van, which was full of parcels he had collected from an Amazon depot, when Ross, who lived nearby, climbed into the driver's seat and started to drive away, jurors heard.

Prosecutor John Harrison KC Mr Kondor "tried to stop him by opening the front nearside passenger door of the van and attempting to climb in" but the defendant drove away "with Mr Kondor hanging on to his van".

CCTV footage played in court showed Mr Kondor hanging on to the moving van through an open door.

"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 said.

"After speeding and swerving failed to get rid of Mr Kondor, the defendant deliberately drove into collision with two parked cars."

Ross "deliberately" turned the steering wheel of the van towards a black car parked on the side of the road, he said, and when that did not knock Mr Kondor off 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 Kondor," Mr Harrison said.

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After driving away Ross met up with some other people and the contents of the van were removed, the court heard.

Mr Harrison said Ross showed a "complete disregard and even contempt" for Mr Kondor's life.

The "career criminal" must have realised Mr Kondor was there but made the choice that the driver was "expendable," he added.

Ross, of Conference Road, Armley, told the jury 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 without a driver.

He said he was not aware of anyone clinging on to the side of the van and later found out about Mr Kondor's death through the internet.

He admitted stealing vans previously, but said he had "never been involved in anything like this before", and added: "I would have stopped the van and run off if I had known he was there."

Ross is due to be sentenced on Friday.