Man appears in court charged with delivery driver’s murder in Leeds
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Mark Ross appears before magistrates in connection with death on Tuesday of Claudiu-Carol Kondor
A man accused of murdering a parcel delivery driver who died as he tried to prevent his van from being stolen in Leeds has appeared in court for the first time.
Mark Ross, 32, of Armley, Leeds, appeared before magistrates in the city on Friday after being charged in relation to the death of 42-year-old Claudiu-Carol Kondor.
Ross did not indicate a plea during the two-minute hearing. The court heard that it was alleged that he murdered Kondor on 20 August.
Wearing a grey prison tracksuit, Ros spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address. He was remanded into custody until his next hearing at Leeds crown court on Tuesday next week.
West Yorkshire police launched a murder investigation after Kondor was found lying injured in Heights Drive, Wortley, on Tuesday evening. He received help from members of the public and ambulance staff but was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said his silver Ford Transit Cargo van was stolen in Alliance Street about half a mile away while he was making a delivery. The van was later found abandoned several miles away, police said.
Mike Neill, the operations manager of SP Transport Group, the company that Kondor worked for, said: “This unimaginable loss has left us all devastated. Claudiu was more than just a colleague, he was a friend, a confidant and a valued member of our team. His commitment to his work and the camaraderie he brought to the workplace will never be forgotten.”
Neill has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Kondor’s family, which so far has received donations of more than £21,000.
Kondor had been delivering parcels for Amazon, which contracts delivery companies to dispatch parcels to customers’ homes.
An Amazon spokesperson said: “This is a terrible incident and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the delivery driver’s loved ones, family and colleagues at our delivery service provider. We will do all that we can to assist police with their investigations.”
A 24-year-old man who was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of murder remains in custody.
A woman who was arrested at the same time on suspicion of assisting an offender has been released under investigation.
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