Bradford delivery driver who killed biker in Ripon while on Snapchat jailed

A delivery driver who was using Snapchat when he crashed into and killed a biker has been jailed.

Daniaal Iqbal had been on his phone when he ploughed his white Ford Transit van into a motorcyclist at the corner of Kirkby Road in Ripon on 21 September, 2019.

Peter Rushforth, 56, was killed instantly due to the impact of the collision.

The 23-year-old driver had been working and had just made a delivery to a nearby farm when the crash happened.

Iqbal was arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving and his mobile phone was taken to be examined by police - where they found that Iqbal had been using his camera and sending a message on Snapchat just seconds before the crash.

DS Kirsten Aldridge said that Iqbal had denied "any responsibility for the collision" despite there being "unquestionable evidence".

She added: "This is yet another fatal collision caused by a driver who refused to listen to the warnings about the risk of using a mobile while driving and chose to blatantly disregard the law.

"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, from Bradford, has been jailed for three and a half years and disqualified from driving for two years.

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