Overview

• Preston Crown Court jailed Neil Platt, 43, for causing the death of Daniel Aitchison by dangerous driving.
• Platt was disqualified from driving for 13 years and eight months and must pass an extended retest before regaining his licence.
• In‑cab footage and phone logs showed repeated use of X, TikTok, YouTube and other apps during a three‑hour journey, with pornographic images visible seconds before impact.
• Travelling at about 54 mph, Platt braked only 35 metres before striking Aitchison’s stationary Hyundai on the M58 near Skelmersdale, shunting it into a tanker and causing a fatal fire.
• Judge Ian Unsworth KC called Platt "a multi‑tonne accident waiting to happen," as victim impact statements described the loss to the 46‑year‑old father’s family.