A surveyor who killed a father by ploughing into his car at 70mph while watching TikTok videos has been jailed for eight years.
Ismaeel Malik, 22, crashed into Norman Case’s vehicle as it sat stationary in traffic on an Essex A-road.
Mr Case, 58, suffered catastrophic injuries and was declared dead at the scene less than an hour later.
Cowardly Malik told police he had braked to try and avoid the collision but tests showed they hadn’t been applied at all and TikTok was playing at the time of the crash.
The use of the app was among 94 ‘interactions’ Malik had with his phone in the two hours he was driving before his powerful Mercedes E220 was involved in the ‘avoidable’ tragedy.
Others included navigation tool Waze and messaging app WhatsApp, as well as X.
Jailing the defendant after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving, Judge Mary Loram KC told him: ‘Norman Case died because you were on TikTok.
‘How easy that must have been to avoid will sit with his family as part of their grief.
Ismaeel Malik, 22, crashed into Norman Case’s vehicle as it sat stationary in traffic on an Essex A-road
‘What a devastating demonstration this was of the dangers of using your phone whilst driving.'
Mr Case's daughter, Kate, wept as she read a victim impact statement in court from her and her brothers which 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.
‘He will never see me graduate, will never walk me down the aisle. This is something I will never recover from.
‘I hope [Malik] acknowledges the pain he has caused. It could have been your friend or your family.’
Mr Case's wife, Sarah, fought back tears as she read her own statement.
She said: ‘Life without Norman is very lonely. There was always noise in our house.
‘The thought [that he] won't be there for family events breaks my heart. Weddings and graduations will now forever be tinged with sadness.
‘[Norman] was hit at 70mph by someone who was not looking at the road.
Mr Case, 58, suffered catastrophic injuries and was declared dead at the scene less than an hour after the collision
‘Life is not fair. Norman's death was completely avoidable. Our [lives] will never be the same.’
The crash happened between Mercedes and Arsenal fan Mr Case’s grey VW Polo on the A12 near Kelvedon on the morning of October 22, 2024, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.
Dashcam footage from an HGV on the busy road showed Malik overtaking vehicles at 70mph as traffic slowed down and other vehicles put on their hazard lights.
Prosecutor Carolyn Gardiner said: ‘Mr Case was approaching the rear of traffic. [He] was travelling at around 2mph, having slowed from 11mph.’
Malik, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was still driving at 70mph just five seconds before the crash and never applied his brakes.
The court heard the driver of the car in front of Mr Case's was also taken to hospital with injuries, after his vehicle was struck from behind.
'[Malik] failed to identify the hazard ahead due to inattention or distraction,' Ms Gardiner said.
In a police interview, Malik denied being on his phone as hit the car belonging to Mr Case, of Maldon, Essex.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard that Malik had 94 ‘interactions’ with his phone in the two hours he was driving before his powerful Mercedes E220 was involved in the ‘avoidable’ tragedy
He only admitted what he had been doing when police presented him with a technical analysis which proved he had been on his phone 'a hell of a lot' - although he still denied the TikTok videos had distracted him.
Edward Butler, defending, told the court his client had been a young man of 'real promise', whose family had also suffered a 'tragedy' in the accident that occurred.
Malik was tired from driving 'too much' at the time of the crash, having driven to Wales and back for work the previous day, he said.
But Judge Loram interrupted him to say: '[Malik] was on social media. That is what this is about.
'TikTok was playing at the time of the collision and had been activated shortly before.
'There is not one word of acknowledgement of this in the [defence] statements.'
Mr Butler went on to say Malik was in court to pay for his 'stupid and dangerous' behaviour.
'This was simply a catastrophic lack of judgement,' he said. '[Malik] never set out intending to do anybody any harm.
'[He] is so desperately sorry for what he has done.'
The judge noted the footage of the incident revealed how 'blindingly obvious' what was about to happen would have been to anyone 'paying the most minimal of attention'.
She added: ‘It is difficult to understand how any road user could have missed what was happening - it was hardly out of the ordinary.
‘Despite all this, the defendant failed to notice what was obvious to others. His Mercedes was speeding as if on a clear road.
‘[He] didn't even attempt to brake. The collision was inevitable, as was the force.
‘The defendant had tried to say the fault lay with his brakes. There was nothing wrong with his brakes.
‘It was his phone that had caused him to be distracted. He had been using a variety of apps.’
Speaking after the hearing, Detective Inspector Mark Fraser, of Essex Police's serious collision investigation unit, said: ‘This was so much more than a momentary lapse of concentration.
‘This was persistent, illegal and dangerous use of a phone whilst driving. [Malik's] actions took the life of Norman Case, a loving dad-of-two who had everything to live for.
‘Driving is a privilege, not a right. The use of phones whilst driving is illegal for a reason. It detracts drivers' attention and can have devastating consequences.'
Malik will serve at least two-thirds of his sentence in prison and will be disqualified from driving for ten years and four months.