Driver in death crash may have been using laptop

The Portuguese lorry driver faced with charges of death by dangerous driving may have been using a laptop as he drove on the M6, a court has heard.

Paulo Jorge da Silva, who lives in Murcia, Spain, was involved in an M6 crash which killed a family of six. He has denied six counts of causing death by dangerous driving with alternative charges of causing death by careless driving. But according to Andrew Thomas QC, prosecuting, da Silva may have been using a laptop while driving.

Speaking at Chester Crown Court on 9 January, Thomas said: "We say that for over a mile before the point of impact the defendant was not paying proper attention to the road."

He told the court that following the collision on 20 October 2008, police found a laptop alongside da Silva's seat with the screen turned to face him.

The trial continues.