Sheffield man shouted ' help' as he clung onto his delivery van as thief drove off

Claudiu Carol-Kondor, aged 42 and from Sheffield, died while trying to stop Mark Ross , 32, taking his van while he was delivering parcels in Leeds on August 20 last year.

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Leeds Crown Court has heard Ross hit speeds of almost 60mph on residential streets and swerved erratically from side to side before hitting two parked cars, all in an effort, prosecutors say, to "get rid" of Mr Kondor as he hung onto the van from the open passenger door.

Ross has admitted manslaughter but denies murdering Mr Kondor, saying he was unaware of him hanging onto the van, jurors have been told.

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On Thursday witness Tracy Higson told the trial she was driving back from a shop on Wingate Road in the Armley area of Leeds when she was forced to skid to a stop after a van "came flying out of a side street" and nearly hit her car.

She said the van was "going fast" and moving "erratically", adding that she later saw it "going from side to side".

Ms Higson told the court: "The Amazon driver was... I just seen him hanging off the side of the door.

"His hands were on the window ledge and he was basically hanging on."

She said Mr Kondor was on the inside of the van door when she saw him.

Asked if she heard anything, Ms Higson said: "Yes. The gentleman that died, I heard him shout 'help'."

Pedestrian Lynn Spencer described how a van "whizzed" past her with a man "hanging onto the side" who was "very close to the road".

She told the court: "I carried on walking as I was going. I just saw my goddaughter, she was crying.

"I went over and said: 'What's going on?'. Obviously I knew it may be something to do with that.

"Then I just saw the poor gentleman laid on the floor. I saw his shoe and wallet maybe 10 to 15 metres away from him."

Prosecutors say Ross "deliberately" hit two parked cars to "get rid of" Mr Kondor after "speeding and swerving" failed to stop him hanging onto his van.

Jurors have heard Mr Kondor was delivering parcels for Amazon on August 20 last year using his own silver transit van - which was full of parcels he had collected from an Amazon depot.

While he was away from his vehicle delivering a parcel, Ross climbed into the driver's seat and started to drive the van away, the court heard.

Prosecutor John Harrison KC said: "The evidence suggests Mr Kondor tried to stop him by opening the front nearside passenger door of the van and attempting to climb in.

"Unfortunately his actions did not prevent the defendant from driving away, with Mr Kondor hanging on to his van."

Ross denies murder and the trial continues.