Man charged with murder after Amazon delivery driver killed in ‘vanjacking’

Claudiu-Carol Kondor was found unconscious in the street while out delivering parcels

Claudiu-Carol Kondor died after he was involved in a collision during an attempted theft of his van in Leeds (Handout/PA) (PA Media)

A man has been charged with the murder of a delivery driver killed in a suspected “vanjacking” incident in Leeds.

Claudiu-Carol Kondor, 42, died as he attempted to stop a thief from stealing his vehicle on Tuesday evening.

Mark Ross, 32, of Conference Road in Armley, has now been charged and is due to appear before Leeds magistrates court on Friday.

Mr Kondor was pronounced dead at the scene in Heights Drive, Wortley, on Tuesday evening after his silver Ford Transit Cargo van was allegedly stolen in Alliance Street while he was making a delivery.

Claudiu-Carol Kondor has been described as a ‘friend and confidant’ (Gofundme)

Officers were called at around 6.50pm and found Mr Kondor unconscious, with members of the public trying to help him.

It is understood Mr Kondor was delivering packages for Amazon while working for a partner company.

On Wednesday evening, his company said he was “a friend, a confidant and a valued member of our team”.

Tributes poured in Mr Kondor, whose family - including wife Mariana - have been left “completely devastated” by his tragic and untimely death, West Yorkshire Police said.

The courier’s operations manager, Mike Neill, set up a GoFundMe for his family, writing: “Claudiu was a dedicated and cherished member of the SP Transport Group family. This unimaginable loss has left us all devastated.”

Eddie Hampshire, 24, was also arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday and remains in custody.

A woman, who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released under investigation.

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