Man jailed for fatal A14 lorry crash
Christopher Cooke, 55, was convicted of causing the death of Paul Cobbold
Last updated 5 hours ago
A man has been jailed after being convicted of causing a fatal collision on the A14 at Beyton.
Christopher Cooke, 55, of Shillitoe Close, Bury St Edmunds, was sentenced for causing death by dangerous driving at Ipswich Crown Court today (12 November) to 11 years’ imprisonment.
He was also disqualified from driving for seven years, with an extended period of five-and-a-half years.
The collision happened just after 6pm on 30 March 2023 on the A14 eastbound at Beyton, where Cooke was driving a Renault articulated heavy goods vehicle, which was towing a trailer carrying a full container.
Travelling in front of him was a Citroen Dispatch van, driven by 53-year-old Paul Cobbold.
Mr Cobbold had braked, after a Mercedes HGV in front of him stopped to a build-up of traffic.
Cooke failed to respond in time, braked sharply and attempted to swerve to avoid colliding with Mr Cobbold’s vehicle.
He collided with Mr Cobbold’s vehicle, pushed it into the rear of the stationary Mercedes HGV, and crushed it in the process.
Cooke’s HGV then struck the Mercedes HGV before colliding with the central reservation, tipping over on to its nearside.
Mr Cobbold was sadly declared deceased at the scene.
Police investigation
After being arrested, analysis of Cooke’s mobile phone found that a game called ‘Chief Almighty’ was running on the screen and the phone was unlocked and in focus at the time of the collision.
At court he admitted he had driven carelessly but denied the charge of dangerous driving. Having assessed all the evidence, a jury found him guilty of causing death by dangerous driving by a majority verdict of 10-2.
DC Mark Simpson, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This was a completely avoidable collision and as such a death that should not have occurred.
“Both Paul Cobbold and the driver of the HGV in front of him responded to the queuing traffic in sufficient time, slowing their vehicles safely as required.
“Despite his elevated vantage point, Christopher Cooke failed to respond to the traffic ahead and was quite clearly distracted. The evidence from his mobile phone leaves us in no doubt that this distraction was caused by the game was that was running on it.
“The fact we can also prove he was using the phone throughout the same journey he made the night before only adds weight to this hypothesis.
“We regularly run campaigns highlighting the dangers of using a mobile phone whilst driving and these risks are multiplied a number of times when you are in charge of a vehicle the size of an HGV.
“There is simply no excuse for a professional - or any - driver to take risks such as this and the outcome in this case is the most severe.
"The consequences for Paul Cobbold’s family were devastating – he was making his way home from work and never made it due to someone else’s reckless behaviour. I would like to thank Paul’s family for the patience and dignity they have shown throughout this lengthy and complex investigation and legal process.
“I hope the sentence handed down today will serve as both a warning and a deterrent to other drivers of the real and present risk caused by driving whilst using a mobile phone.”