A man convicted of the murder of delivery driver Claudiu-Carol Kondor in Armley has today been given a life sentence with a minimum term of 30 years.
Mark Ross, aged 32, was found guilty by a majority verdict at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday of the murder of 42-year-old Claudiu, who was fatally injured in a collision in Heights Drive on August 20 last year.
Ross had stolen his van while Claudiu made a delivery in Alliance Street, Armley, and deliberately crashed it into a parked car causing him catastrophic injuries after he clung to the open passenger door of the vehicle as Ross sped off.
Claudiu’s death was the subject of a murder enquiry by detectives from West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team. Over the course of the investigation, detectives seized and viewed about 110 hours of CCTV footage, recovered 368 exhibits and took 113 statements.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle said: “It is truly heart-breaking that the life of an honest hard-working man has been snatched away by the cruel and callous actions of Mark Ross.
“Through the hard work, dedication and commitment of everyone involved, from those initial attending officers, the public providing information and CCTV, to the analytical and support staff and the detectives there throughout the investigation to its conclusion at court, we have been able to provide justice for Claudiu and his family.”
In a victim impact statement to the court, Claudiu’s fiancée Mariana Gheorghe said: “I don’t know how I will live without him. Everything seems so difficult to me. I’m still shocked and confused by everything that happened, and I miss him very much.
“I lost the person with whom I planned my whole future. With the loss of Claudiu, his desire to work was also lost because he loved his delivery job, the dream of getting married, buying a house in England, retiring and living a quiet life died.
“We didn’t want to return to Romania, all our plans were based on life in England. I see myself forced to leave England, the country that adopted me five years ago, the country where I found love, the country that offered me a good life, a better life, without worrying about tomorrow.
“Both me and Claudiu are the kind of people who like to work and built their lives and dreams from honest work and on their own. England, the country that offered me love, peace of mind, many joys, many moments that I once only dreamed of, that offered me mental and financial comfort, now offers me insecurity, fear and loneliness. Yes, the loneliness is the reason why I am forced to leave England.
“Now I see myself forced to return to Romania, with a broken heart, alone without Claudiu, with empty hands, without a plan for the future, without dreams, without desires, a new life that I have to start from scratch.
“To Claudiu, life has been beautiful since I met you, you left such a big mark on my heart that I feel you next to me wherever I go. I miss you, I miss us.
“I wish I could turn back time, to be able to feel happiness, love, safety, hope and dreams again with Claudiu.
“I want him (Ross) to receive the punishment he deserves and, more than that, to learn his lesson that in the current situation, those who suffer the most are not to blame for his lifestyle, but these people pay with their lives and through their suffering a price they did not deserve to pay.”