'Stressed' Forest Bank Prison officer was using her mobile phone before fatal M62 pile-up

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