Lorry driver jailed 10 years for killing father of two after being distracted by pornography on his mobile phone

Neil Platt, 43, a lorry driver from Bootle, Merseyside, has been jailed for ten years after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving when he looked at pornography on his mobile phone while driving on the M58 in Lancashire, killing Danny Aitchison.

The crash occurred on May 17 last year as Platt, who was en route from Dumfries in Scotland to Liverpool, traveled in queuing traffic near Skelmersdale at about 54 mph. Prosecutors said he turned his attention to photographs of naked women on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, instead of the road, and did not brake until 35 metres from the Hyundai Kona driven by Mr. Aitchison. The car was forced into the back of a second lorry and burst into flames. The 46-year-old, who was on his way home from work, died at the scene and his vehicle was left unrecognisable.

In-cab dashcam footage showed Platt touching what is understood to be his phone on a dashboard mount, with his eyes looking up only fleetingly. He later told officers he had only touched his phone to check his journey time. However, investigators found that he repeatedly accessed WhatsApp, Facebook, X and TikTok during the journey. Kerry Aitchison, Danny’s partner, read a statement to Preston Crown Court describing the moment she spoke to him on the phone as the crash occurred; her statement explained how she believed the couple were just going about their daily routine and how she immediately lost contact with him when the line dropped.

The court heard from Danny Aitchison’s daughter, Ella, who spoke of how life had changed for the family since his death. She described her father as a good man, driven by family and a love of life, and urged the court to acknowledge the impact of his loss. Addressing Platt directly, Ella said that while he might not have intended to kill anyone that day, his actions could have killed someone and must be acknowledged as such. The court also heard that Aitchison’s two children, Ella and Jack, were left to cope with the aftermath of his death.

Judge Ian Unsworth KC told Platt that his attitude toward driving was breath-taking and that he had “willingly and without any excuse” flouted the laws of the road. He noted that the collision could have occurred at any point along the journey and that Platt had travelled well over 100 miles in a highly distracted state. The judge described Platt as a “multi-tonne accident waiting to happen.” Platt was disqualified from driving for 13 years and eight months and was ordered to undergo an extended retest before he can drive again.

Det Sgt Matthew Davidson, of Lancashire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said the case underscored the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving. He stated that Danny Aitchison had set out to get home safely and that Platt’s decision to scroll through social media while behind the wheel had robbed him of that chance. Davidson urged motorists to consider Danny and his family whenever they reach for their phone while driving, adding that this case should send a message to anyone who believes it is acceptable to use a mobile device behind the wheel.

The case arrives amid growing concerns about driver distraction. A new analysis shared with This Is Money earlier this year shows that nine in ten motorists cannot complete a journey without some form of phone distraction. Among a sample of half a million drivers over the past year, only about 10 percent were able to complete a trip without touching their device. With more than 42 million license holders in the country, the analysis suggests roughly 37.8 million drivers experience some level of phone distraction on typical trips.

Overall, the sentencing highlights ongoing debates over road safety and the role of mobile phones in traffic incidents, as authorities continue to emphasize that even momentary distraction can have fatal consequences on busy roads.