A DEFENDANT shared posts on social media to say he was going to Amsterdam only hours after he was convicted of causing death by careless driving.

Daniel Chappell, 37, posted three photos on his Facebook story on Thursday, one of which was captioned “Bring on Amsterdam” with a picture of a pint of beer in the background.

A second picture of a pint of beer was captioned “Oh and Japan”, with a ‘facepalm’ emoji, whilst a third picture showed a can of Punk IPA beer.

Only two hours before sharing the posts, Chappell appeared before a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court where he was found guilty by a unanimous verdict of causing the death of 17-year-old Alliyah Bell by careless driving.

In a police interview, Chappell claimed Alliyah Bell and her friend, Leah Green, “just didn’t look and ran out into the road”.

Analysis from forensic collision investigator Alan Barlow, who gave evidence in court, showed Chappell had been driving at 45mph in Magdalen Street and just under 40mph when he drove down Hythe Hill and struck Alliyah Bell in his Ford Kuga.

He also told the police officer the area where he hit Miss Bell was “really dark”.

A pre-sentence report is due to be prepared by October 10 before Chappell is sentenced next month.