A Forest Bank prison officer caused a mass pile-up on the M62 – which resulted in the death of a man – after she relentlessly received and made phone calls and messages while driving.
Jamie Bellerby, 27, of Grimescar Road, Elland, was on her way home from work on March 16, 2021. In just 23 minutes, she received 23 WhatsApp messages, sent a voice note on Facebook Messenger, was the recipient of three Facebook messages, made several phone calls and accepted three more.
Her Ford Fiesta was seen “swaying left and right” on the M62 driving at speeds of up to 75 mph before it smashed into the central reservation, flipping in the air “at least twice” then coming to a stop, forcing the drivers behind to slam on their brakes and swerve out of the way.
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Although those immediately behind Bellerby, who previously played rugby at a professional level for Sale Sharks, managed to stop in time and pull over to safety, the knock-on effect resulted in a horrific pile-up close to Junction 22 for Rishworth Moor. Tragically, 39-year-old lorry driver Stuart Murphy, from Huddersfield, died at the scene and a 37-year-old man was seriously injured, reports Yorkshire Live.
Stuart, who was described as “such a good person” by heartbroken friends and family at the time, was driving one of four HGVs involved in the horror smash which left a further four other people injured. As details of the crash were read to the court, Bellerby, who once played for Sale Sharks, sobbed in the dock.
Prosecutor Alisha Kaye told the court: “She left work just after lunch and drove from the prison along A roads, to a McDonalds drive-in, onto the M60 and the M62 eastbound, heading in the direction of Huddersfield. Witnesses saw her travelling at speeds of up to 75mph, swerving in the middle lane left and right, out of control before drifting into lane three, very close to the central reservation.”
Details of the sheer volume of incoming calls, messages and social media messages she was receiving and accepting and making phone calls were read to the court. Her WhatsApp was not operated through Siri and she could not use her phone through the steering wheel, meaning she had to manually make the call.
When she crawled out of the wreckage of her car, she was clutching her mobile phone.
Bellerby was taken to Leeds General Infirmary and then later interviewed by West Yorkshire Police. In her first interview, she told officers she’d “had a right day” at work. She has since quit her job because she could not cope with the demands of it.
She was eventually arrested. Upon first inspection, Bellerby’s phone did not reveal anything. However, an enhanced recovery uncovered she had been using WhatsApp and Facebook messenger prior to the crash. Ms Kaye said the screening also showed evidence from the handset had been deleted before the phone was handed in to police.
Ms Kaye said: “As she exited the drive-thru she got a further seven messages before going onto the M60 at junction 6 at 2.10pm. Over the next seven minutes on the M60 she received 15 WhatsApp messages. At 2.28pm she reached Junction 21 on the M62 when she sent a voice message on Facebook messenger and received three incoming messages.
“At 2.29pm she made a call and then at 2.30pm received another WhatsApp message. At 2.30pm she made a call. WhatsApp was not capable of being operated through Siri or the steering wheel meaning she had to manually make the call. At 2.33pm she made a further WhatsApp call to a group which connected and it was at this point she crashed.”
The court heard that Bellerby then hit the central reservation, causing her car to flip “at least twice” before coming to rest on the road. Ms Kaye added: “Other vehicles behind managed to swerve to avoid hitting her car. A number of other witnesses managed to pull their cars onto the hard shoulder and put their hazard lights on to warn other vehicles approaching in the same direction. Witnesses managed to get out and help her. She managed to crawl out of her vehicle.”
After she was arrested, she told police her shift at HMP Forest Bank had been stressful, with just one other officer on duty with her. An inmate had tested positive for Covid-19, which resulted in a wing lockdown. There was an attack involving weapons, injuries and an “atmosphere of fear and anxiety”.
Bellerby was interviewed again on February 24 and the phone evidence was put to her. She provided a pre-prepared statement where she denied being distracted at the time. The statement said she had “no recollection of sending any messages while driving”.
Ms Kaye said: “She accepted sending the Facebook message while stationary at a red light and denied deleting any calls from her phone”.
Bellerby pleaded guilty to dangerous driving. The case was delayed while enquiries were made surrounding a potential charge of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving however these were never made against her.
Mitigating, Richard Dawson said she was of previous good character and a “positive” pre-sentence report had been prepared.
Judge Rose made Bellerby the subject of a two-year community order, telling her she must undertake 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days. After outlining the day at work she had had prior to the crash, the judge made her the subject of a five-month electronically monitored curfew between the hours of 7pm and 7am.
The judge said he was satisfied that Bellerby was distracted because of her stressful day at work and the fact she was using her phone.
He said: “In the first place, you had endured the most difficult shift at work…This left you, I’m satisfied, extremely stressed and anxious. As I understand it, your experiences on this shift were such, you decided to terminate your employment as you admitted you felt unable to cope with the demands of your role…
“No one who has not worked as a prison officer, particularly at that time, can fully appreciate the stresses and strains of a person fulfilling that role emotionally and physically…But while the court must recognise these matters were not of your own making, the same can’t be said for the second source of your distraction which I am sure was your mobile phone while driving…
“There is no excuse whatsoever for using your mobile phone when you were on your journey. The evidence is overwhelming that you ignored the law and common sense.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
