Lorry driver on video call jailed for fatal M20 crash

A lorry driver who was on a video call with his wife when he crashed into a car in standstill traffic, killing a father of two, has been jailed.

Zvonko Tomisa, 58, previously admitted that his dangerous driving caused the death of 36-year-old Arran McManus in November 2025.

Tomisa failed to notice the standstill traffic on the M20 near Lenham, in Kent, and crashed into the back of McManus's car, who was driving to work.

At Maidstone Crown Court on Monday, Tomisa, from Croatia, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Tomisa was driving at approximately 55mph (89km/h) and began braking less than one second before the crash, the court heard.

Prosecutors said that Tomisa had sent at least five messages from his phone since arriving in Dover, followed by answering a video call.

Judge Catherine Moor said: "The impact forced the car being driven by Mr McManus forward, that caused it to become lodged beneath the Scania lorry in front."

McManus died at the scene from crush injuries, while Tomisa was taken to hospital with serious injuries before being arrested.

"You plainly assumed your driving would be unaffected by your mobile telephone use and that somehow the rules did not apply to you," the judge said.

"You were not concentrating on the road."

The judge also disqualified Tomisa from driving any vehicle for 14 years.

McManus's fiancé, Ashleigh Devlin, described him as her "best friend" in a statement read out to the court.

"His loss has impacted me profoundly as I now experience anxiety, something I had never faced before," she said.

Family members said that they were now afraid of driving on motorways and were conscious of foreign lorries as a result.

In a previous tribute, Kennington Football Club, where McManus had coached, said that he had an "infectious enthusiasm for coaching and helping people".

Defence barrister Nadia Semlali told the court that her client "makes no excuses for his actions" and "accepts he was deeply distracted".

"Much of it was in relation to his wife having an operation and they were the phone calls he was having with his wife on that date," she said.

In a translated letter read to the court, Tomisa said: "I am very conscious of the weight and the consequences of this event, and I wish to express my deep and honest remorse for what happened."

The lorry driver had initially denied the offence but changed his plea before he was due to stand trial.

Kent Police Ch Insp Craig West said that he hoped people would "realise the detrimental impacts that can be caused by using a phone whilst driving".

"Mr McManus was a huge part of the Ashford community and his death has had a devastating impact," he added.

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