A. is suspected of manslaughter of three people and driving under the influence. It cost the lives of Dende (35), Junior (36) and Lala (7). “You don’t know how much pain and sorrow you have caused us,” Junior’s sister Annemarie said in court today. “I hope you still see their faces in your head every day.”
Too hard, red and under the influence
During the collision, the young family’s car was hit on the right side by the suspect’s car. The impact was so hard that the three victims were thrown from the car. All three died on the spot.
Where the three victims had a green light, the suspect drove through a red light at high speed. He drove at least 134 kilometers per hour on the road where the maximum speed limit was 80. In the 90 meters before the crash he was said to have been driving even faster, at a speed of between 150 and 181 kilometers per hour.
When A. was found in his car after the accident, trapped between the steering wheel and the dashboard, a clear odor of alcohol was smelled in his car. An officer also found an empty bottle. Blood tests a few hours later showed that A. had a permille of 1.53 in his blood, where 0.5 is allowed for an experienced driver. At the time of the accident, according to a calculation, it was even 1.73 per mille.
As far as the suspect’s lawyer is concerned, his blood should not have been tested. Although A. gave verbal consent shortly after the accident, according to the lawyer he was unable to give consent due to his physical and mental condition. Later A. also changed his consent.
The Public Prosecution Service has nevertheless included the toxicological blood test in the sentence, because it was lawfully taken and examined.
No regrets
According to the Public Prosecution Service, A. has also not expressed remorse. During the case, the public prosecutor referred to a handwritten letter that the suspect had his lawyer read during a pro forma hearing. “In it he mentions compassion, but the word regret, remorse, or something similar cannot be found in it.”
Even today, A. did not use the word regret. However, he emphasized several times that he ‘finds it terrible’ and understands the grief and anger of the relatives.
Personal circumstances
As usual, the suspect’s personal circumstances were also discussed in court. For example, A. has no criminal record and was not in trouble with the law before the accident. He had a stable job, a house and a good relationship with his family.
Attention was also paid to his time in the PI in Dordrecht, where he still resides. A. himself was seriously injured in the accident. For that reason he did not come to court today and missed several pro forma hearings. At the end of 2023, a year after the accident, treatment for his injuries was delayed by several days. Something that caused the suspect a lot of pain. His lawyer speaks of ‘inhumane treatment’.
When discussing the situation at the end of last year, A. repeated several times that he was ‘dying’. The judge finally interrupted him: “Maybe you shouldn’t use the word ‘death’ like that.”
No memory
“I honestly don’t know,” is a sentence that A. often repeated. He says he cannot remember anything about the accident or the hours before. The Public Prosecution Service accuses him of claiming to want to know what happened, but not taking advantage of all the opportunities he had to get clarity from friends and family who saw him.
A. stated that he is someone who likes to take responsibility and understands the anger of the relatives. When the public prosecutor asked him what exactly he wanted to take responsibility for, the suspect said that he did so as ‘a person involved in the accident’. He avoided direct questions about what exactly his involvement is. “I really don’t see myself as a horrible man who would do this on purpose.”
The judge will make a ruling in two weeks.
Names of victims
The victims are officially called Michelangela (35), Rinold (36) and Rinaigela (7), but everyone knew them as Dende, Junior and Lala.
