An HGV driver has been jailed for four years after he fell asleep at the wheel and killed a motorist in Sussex.
Stefan-Alexandru Bloj killed 64-year-old David Sullivan after smashing into the back of his van with his artic on the M271 near Lewes.
Sullivan had slowed down as he approached Redbridge roundabout on 17 November 2020, but Southampton Crown Court heard how Bloj, an agency driver, did not slow down because he had fallen asleep.
Sullivan died at the scene.
A trial heard how the lorry driver had used his rest breaks to phone his partner and watch videos and he had only slept for five hours in a 24-hour period.
He told the court he thought he was fit to drive, but that since the collision he had been diagnosed with sleep apnoea – a condition in which your breathing stops and starts while you sleep.
Bloj was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, and as well as his four-year jail sentence, he was also banned from driving for two years and must take an extended re-test.
Detective sergeant Cate Paling, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Hampshire Constabulary, said: “Bloj drove lorries for a living and knew the dangers of not taking designated sleep breaks.
“His selfish decision to instead use this time to watch videos on his phone meant he was completely unfit to drive through tiredness, endangering the lives of other drivers as well as his own.
“Our thoughts remain with Mr Sullivan’s family.”
