The immediate imprisonment of 2 years was imposed today by the Limassol District Court on the 25-year-old defendant, who was found guilty after a hearing process, for the death of the 19-year-old student, Marilena Pericleous.
The collision occurred on July 10, 2020, on the Limassol – Platres road, with 19-year-old Marilena sustaining critical injuries and succumbing to her injuries nine days later.
The victim was a passenger in the back seat of the car driven by the 20-year-old with another 19-year-old as a co-passenger, both friends of Pericleous.
The 25-year-old defendant was found guilty after a hearing process, of the offense of causing death due to reckless, careless, or dangerous action or behavior, as well as illegal overtaking.
The judge of the Limassol District Court, Doria Varosiotou, deemed the defendant guilty, noting that the Prosecution managed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the elements of the charges faced by the defendant, especially the serious offense under Article 210 of the Penal Code.
In his written plea, the defence counsel pointed out that the 25-year-old has a clean criminal record.
He urged the Court to consider the young age of his client, as well as his remorse. He also requested the Court to take into account the time elapsed until the case was heard.
He asked the Court to consider his client’s personal circumstances, stating that the 25-year-old has been in a relationship for several months and has been under psychiatric care since the tragic event.
In her verdict, Judge Doria Varosiotou stated that the defendant’s apology and statement from his lawyer cannot be significant as he denied guilt from the beginning.
She noted that she took into account his young age as he was only 21 years old. The judge imposed a 2-year prison sentence on the 25-year-old defendant for the offense of causing death and no penalty for the second charge.
She also imposed a driving license suspension for a period of three months and 10 penalty points.
According to the facts, the traffic collision occurred at 23:50 on the night of July 10, 2020, on the Limassol-Platres road, when the car driven by the then 20-year-old with the two 19-year-olds as passengers collided head-on with a car driven by the defendant, who at that time was attempting an overtaking manoeuvre at a prohibited point.
As a result, a collision occurred with the oncoming vehicle, in which the three young individuals were travelling.
The unfortunate Marilena Pericleous, who was sitting in the back seat, was transferred to Nicosia General Hospital where she underwent surgery. She eventually succumbed to her injuries nine days later.
With her death, the unfortunate Marilena gave life to three patients as her family, in an act of altruism and humanity, upon being informed by the treating doctors that the child could not be saved, made the brave decision to donate her organs.
