Overview

• Neil Platt, 43, admitted causing the death of Daniel Aitchison and was sentenced at Preston Crown Court.
• Dashcam footage and a forensic phone review showed repeated interaction with X, Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok immediately before impact.
• Judge Ian Unsworth KC condemned his conduct as "arrogant and selfish" and called him "a multi‑tonne accident waiting to happen."
• The lorry hit the stationary Hyundai at about 54 mph, with braking beginning roughly 35 metres away, after traffic had stopped following a rolling roadblock.
• Platt was disqualified from driving for 13 years and eight months and must pass an extended retest, with two‑thirds of the prison term to be served in custody, according to court reporting.