Pregnant woman killed - prison sentence for accident driver
At the end of 2020, in North Rhine-Westphalia, a driver hit a pregnant woman with his car. Both she and her unborn baby died as a result. The 19-year-old driver fled immediately. Now, the District Court of Mönchengladbach has sentenced him to several years in prison.
A 19-year-old driver has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for the death of a pregnant woman in North Rhine-Westphalia. The District Court of Mönchengladbach found the defendant guilty not only of negligent manslaughter, hit-and-run, and attempted manslaughter by neglect. The court went beyond the prosecutor's sentencing recommendation.
The defendant had driven through a red light in Hückelhoven on December 5th of the previous year and hit the pregnant woman, who was in front of her partner's eyes, with a speed of 70 km/h. The 31-year-old woman and her unborn child were thrown into the air and died shortly thereafter in the hospital.
Unlike the defense's suggestion, the court did not sentence the 19-year-old according to juvenile, but adult criminal law. Judge Martin Alberring justified this by the assured and intelligent demeanor and the defendant's previous life course.
Impaired capacity to understand wrong due to Alcohol and Drug Influence
According to the judges, he was impaired in his ability to understand wrong at the time of the accident, as he had driven under the influence of 1.9 promille alcohol and cocaine. The 19-year-old continued driving after the collision without stopping to care for the victims. He only stopped when a witness overtook him and blocked his car with her own vehicle about 400 meters further on.
The 19-year-old had testified in court that he had thought he had only hit an object and had not noticed the woman. The court considered this a self-defense claim. "What could that have been for an object in terms of the damage to the windshield?", asked the judge. The court was convinced that they knew they had hit a person.
During the trial, the 19-year-old begged for forgiveness from the woman's relatives under tears. He expressed shame every day and would accept any judgment. "I'm looking forward to that", said the judge. The 19-year-old looked shocked after the judgment was pronounced. His lawyer had requested probation. The prosecutor had demanded two years and four months in prison. The judgment is not yet legally binding.
The tragic incident involving the pregnant woman and her unborn baby in North Rhine-Westphalia has sparked international concern about the consequences of reckless driving. Despite the defendant's claim that he only thought he hit an object, the court found that he was criminally responsible for both negligent manslaughter and hit-and-run, acknowledging the severe impact of his actions on the international process of road safety.
