Mobile phone shame of death crash prison officer

HGV driver killed after ex-pro rugby player took string of calls

- HELENA VESTY & SOPHIE CORCORAN

A PRISON officer caused a mass pileup on the M62 which resulted in the death of a man after she relentlessly received and made phone calls and messages while driving.

Former Sale Sharks rugby player Jamie Bellerby, 27, was on her way home from work at Forest Bank prison in Salford in March 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 swerving on the M62 and 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.

Although those immediately behind Bellerby, who previously played rugby at a professional level for Sale, 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.