A driver has been jailed for eight years after killing a father by crashing into his car at 70mph while TikTok was playing on his phone.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard Ismaeel Malik, 22, ploughed into Norman Case’s grey Volkswagen Polo as it sat almost stationary in traffic on the A12 near Kelvedon on the morning of 22 October 2024.
Mr Case, 58, from Maldon, Essex, suffered catastrophic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene less than an hour later.
The court heard Malik, a surveyor from High Wycombe, was driving a Mercedes E220 and failed to notice the slowing traffic ahead as other vehicles activated their hazard lights.
Prosecutor Carolyn Gardiner said Mr Case had slowed to around 2mph as he approached the back of traffic, while Malik was still travelling at 70mph just five seconds before the collision.
Jurors heard Malik never applied his brakes.
Although he initially told police he had tried to brake, technical analysis later showed that was untrue. Investigators also found TikTok was playing at the time of the crash.
The court heard Malik had 94 interactions with his phone during the two hours before the collision, including use of TikTok, WhatsApp, X and the navigation app Waze.
Sentencing him, Judge Mary Loram KC said: “Norman Case died because you were on TikTok.”
She told Malik the death was easily avoidable and described the case as a devastating example of the dangers of using a phone while driving.
Dashcam footage from an HGV shown in court captured Malik overtaking vehicles at speed moments before the crash.
The driver of the vehicle in front of Mr Case was also taken to hospital after his car was hit from behind in the impact.
In a statement read to the court, Mr Case’s daughter Kate said: “If you had taken the time to look up at the road instead of being on your phone, my dad would still be here.”
She said her father would now miss key moments in her life, including her graduation and wedding.
Mr Case’s wife Sarah told the court her husband’s death was “completely avoidable” and said family events would now be “tinged with sadness”.
Defending, Edward Butler said Malik had been tired after driving extensively for work the previous day and described his behaviour as “stupid and dangerous”.
But Judge Loram said the case was about social media distraction, not tiredness, and noted there was “not one word of acknowledgement” in the defence statements about TikTok being used at the time of the collision.
She said the danger ahead would have been “blindingly obvious” to anyone paying even minimal attention.
Essex Police said the crash was far more than a brief lapse in concentration and described it as persistent and illegal phone use behind the wheel.
Malik, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving, will serve at least two-thirds of his sentence in prison. He was also banned from driving for 10 years and four months.