Six-year jail sentence for car driver who killed two cyclists in Ghent

A car driver who hit and killed two cyclists while drunk and disqualified from driving has been sentenced on appeal to six years’ imprisonment and a lifetime driving ban. 

The Ghent criminal court made its ruling on Tuesday, after the police court initially sentenced the 45-year-old man to five years, of which 3.5 years would be served.

The fatal collision happened on 25 February 2024 at around 11.00 on Pantserschipstraat in the port area of Ghent. A car driver hit a group of five cyclists who were riding on the cycle path. Two 45-year-old men from Lochristi were killed. 

The driver was breathalysed at the scene and was found to have 3 per mille of alcohol in his blood. He said he could not remember anything about the crash.

The investigation showed the man had also been using his phone at the time of the crash. He was video calling his girlfriend and driving at more than 110 km/h in a built-up area, the prosecution said. 

Previous offences

He had five previous convictions for traffic offences, including three for driving while intoxicated. He had not had a valid driving licence for almost 10 years but had been able to register and insure a car. He denied having driven the car before and said he had bought it for his girlfriend to use.

The man expressed his regret to the presiding judge during the hearing: “Now I realise everything I have done and I realise that I have an alcohol problem.” 

"There was no blackout because you were video calling. You were awake and saw what was coming towards you"

The court was not satisfied with the man’s explanation of the circumstances of the crash. 

“There was no blackout because you were video calling,” the judge said. “You were awake and saw what was coming towards you. The victims have a right to the truth. You did everything you could to do wrong. You didn’t flee the scene, but you couldn’t because the car had broken down.”

On appeal, the court sentenced the man to the maximum effective prison sentence of five years and the maximum fine of 16,000 euros for causing the fatal crash, and to an effective prison sentence of one year and fine of 8,000 euros for driving while disqualified. 

He was also declared physically and mentally unfit to drive and disqualified for life.

 

#FlandersNewsService | The scene of the crash involving five cyclists in Pantserschipstraat in Ghent, 25 February 2024. Two cyclists died and three were injured when they were hit by a car © BELGA PHOTO NICHOLAS DE COCKER


Related news

Website preview
Driver jailed for nine years and banned for life after fatal hit-and-run
A driver who killed a 16-year-old cyclist in a hit-and-run in East Flanders in 2022 has been sentenced to nine years in prison and a lifetime...
belganewsagency.eu
Website preview
Parents and child killed after car hit by drunk driver
A couple and their eight-year-old daughter were killed in West Flanders on Sunday morning when their car was hit at speed by a drunk driver.
belganewsagency.eu

Share

Get updates in your mailbox

By clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.

About belganewsagency.eu

Belga News Agency delivers dependable, rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media. The information covers all sectors, from politics, economics and finance to social affairs, sports and culture, not to mention entertainment and lifestyle.

Every day, our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories, dozens of online information items, plus audio and video bulletins, all in both national languages. Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language.

For public institutions, businesses and various organisations that need reliable information, Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs.

Contact

Arduinkaai 29 1000 Brussels

www.belganewsagency.eu