DHL delivery driver killed church minister when he smashed into his car at 60mph while eating a sandwich and playing with his mobile

A DHL van driver who killed a church minister when he ploughed into his car as he tried to connect his mobile phone to the internet while eating has been jailed.
Andrew Minshull, 32, crashed his white Mercedes Sprinter van into the back of Dominic Culshaw’s BMW 520 when he failed to see queuing traffic while travelling at 60mph.
The church minister was killed instantly when his car was rammed into the car in front while Minshull escaped with minor injuries.

Church minister Dominic Culshaw, left, was killed when delivery driver Andrew Minshull, right, ploughed his van into his BMW while connecting to Bluetooth on his mobile and eating a sandwich, a court was told

Minshull was not wearing a seatbelt while he tried to make his phone hands-free and ate a sandwich in the outside lane of the A500 between Audley and Barthomley in Staffordshire on May 3 last year.
Minshull was on his way to Crewe to make a delivery while working for DHL. He subsequently lost his job at the firm.

At Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday Minshull was jailed for four-and-a-half years after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving.
Sentencing him, Judge Paul Glenn told Minshull: 'This collision occurred because you were not watching the road ahead of you. You were using your phone, probably connecting it up so it could be used hands-free.
'That’s something you should have done before setting off. No sentence that any court can impose would even begin to compensate for the tragic death of Dominic Culshaw.'

Delivery driver Andrew Minshull killed the church minister on the A500 between Audley and Barthomley in Staffordshire on May 3 last year

A DHL Mercedes sprinter delivery van such as this one (file picture) rammed into the back of the minister's BMW, killing him instantly

The minister had been married to wife Elvira, 45, for 24 years and the couple had two children.
Dominic's brother-in-law, Martin Del-Manso, said: 'Dominic was a cracking guy and looked after my little sister as if she was a princess.

'Whatever Elvira desired was a pleasure for him to provide, and he brought her breakfast in bed every morning. Dom was a softy despite the fact he used to be a boxer.'

Another friend, David Craig, added: 'Dominic got on with everybody all of the time. He's been a success at just about everything he's done and his mum has been so proud of everything he's done.

'He said he loved his congregation and just wanted to look after them the best he could.'
The court heard that the minister from Stoke-on-Trent was on his way to work at his church in Liverpool when he was caught in a jam as he tried to join the M6 at junction 16.
Minshull, who worked for delivery firm DHL, was travelling to Crewe when he failed to see the traffic slowing down.
Paul Spratt, prosecuting, said: 'The defendant traveled in the outside lane of the A500 at about 60mph. One witness says he was coming down at what he thought was phenomenal speed.
'The defendant was using his phone - he was trying to connect it to the Bluetooth technology. In addition the defendant admitted he had taken a bite of a sandwich shortly before the incident or at the time of the incident.'
The court heard Minshull, of Newchapel, Stoke-on-Trent, had never been in trouble with the police before.
Joanne Wallbanks, defending, said: 'The character references show him to be a good, hard-working family man. He makes no excuses for what happened that day. He is extremely remorseful and that remorse is genuine.'

After the hearing, Pc Dave Stubbs, of Staffordshire Police, said: 'It is vital that all motorists follow the rules of the road.'