A lorry driver has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after causing the death of a father-of-two on the M20 in Kent while engaged in a video call with his wife. Zvonko Tomisa, 58, from Videovec, Croatia, struck Arran McManus's Nissan Qashqai at approximately 48mph in standstill traffic on November 25 last year.
Details of the Incident
The collision occurred on the M20 near Ashford, Kent, at around 7:30 am. Tomisa, who was driving at about 55mph, attempted to brake just one second before impact, according to Maidstone Crown Court. The court heard that in the hour leading up to the crash, Tomisa's phone showed multiple incoming and outgoing calls, messages, and video calls. He was actively on a video call with his wife at the moment of the collision.
Mr McManus, 36, a local football coach, was on his way to work when his vehicle was crushed into another lorry in front of him. He suffered injuries described as "not survivable."
Sentencing and Court Remarks
Tomisa was sentenced to 11 years in prison for death by dangerous driving and received a 14-year and four-month driving ban. Sentencing, Judge Catherine Moore stated: "It is abundantly clear your entirely senseless actions meant your attention was distracted. You plainly assumed your driving would be unaffected by your mobile telephone use and that somehow the rules did not apply to you."
She added: "You were not concentrating on the road, your failure to do so had tragic and entirely avoidable consequences."
Victim Impact
A statement from Mr McManus's partner, Ashleigh Devlin, described him as clever, witty, and "always making us laugh." She said: "Even mundane moments like shopping in Tesco or cleaning the house were fun with him. He was one of the good ones for sure." She noted that their family has lost a devoted father, active mentor, and central figure in the community.
Defendant's Background and Remorse
Tomisa had been a professional truck driver since age 20, with 38 years of experience driving on foreign roads. He had arrived in the UK via Dover about an hour before the crash. The court heard that Tomisa deeply regrets his actions and is remorseful and traumatised. His defence barrister stated that Tomisa was "deeply distracted" mainly because his wife was undergoing an operation. However, Judge Moore dismissed this as no excuse.
In a letter read to the court, Tomisa said: "There is not a word that can dilute the pain and the loss that family went through after the person lost their life. I am carrying the weight of this tragedy every day and I'm truly compassionate and empathise with their suffering. It was never my intention to cause harm to anyone and especially with these consequences."
Police Response
Tomisa changed his plea to guilty on April 9. Kent Police chief inspector Craig West described Mr McManus's death as "completely avoidable." He said: "Mr McManus was a huge part of the Ashford community and his death has had a devastating impact. If anything good can come from this tragic incident, I hope it's that people look at Mr McManus's death and realise the detrimental impacts that can be caused by using a phone while driving. We have a zero tolerance policy for this at Kent Police."
