Man charged with murder of Leeds delivery driver

A man has been charged with murder after a delivery driver was killed in a vanjacking incident in Leeds.

Claudiu-Carol Kondor, 42, from Sheffield, died as he tried to stop a thief stealing his van while he was delivering parcels on Tuesday evening.

Mark Ross, 32, of Conference Road in Armley, is due to appear before Leeds magistrates later.

A 24-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday remains in custody, West Yorkshire Police said.

A woman arrested at the same time on suspicion of aiding an offender has been released under investigation.

Officers were called to Heights Drive in Wortley at around 6.50pm BST on Tuesday following reports of a man seriously injured on the road.

Mr. Kondor was believed to be delivering Amazon packages in the neighborhood on behalf of a third-party contractor when his van was targeted by a thief on Alliance Street.

When he tried to stop them, police said they “sped off” with the victim partially pinned in the passenger door of the vehicle.

Mr Kondor was left stranded on the road when the van collided with two parked cars.

He was treated urgently by ambulance staff but was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

The victim was described as a “beloved colleague and confidant” by his company, SP Transport Group.

A fundraiser for his family, organised by the company, has now exceeded £20,000.

Operations Director Mike Neill said: “While no amount of money can fill the void left by Claudiu’s passing, we hope to provide some comfort and support to his loved ones.”

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