A prison sentence of 18 months for causing death due to reckless, careless, or dangerous driving was imposed by the Nicosia District Court on a 28-year-old defendant in the case of the fatal accident involving the well-known athlete and cyclist, Nektarios Pettemerides.
The trial lasted two years.
The defendant driver was found guilty on 8th February 2024, following a hearing on the single charge he faced.
There was a significant delay in the case as noted in the court’s convicting decision. Although the case was scheduled for hearing until 15th April 2022, the defendant changed his plea from denial to admission.
Ultimately, on 24th June 2022, he changed his stance and was registered as not contesting the charge, due to disagreement between the Prosecution and the Defence regarding the speed limit of the specific road network and the manner in which cyclists moved within the road.
The Court imposed an 18-month prison sentence on 12th March 2024.
Thirteen witnesses testified during the hearing, including the defendant himself.
As noted in the decision, the severity of the offence faced by the 28-year-old defendant was taken into account, as well as his driving behaviour, which resulted in the death of Nektarios Pettemerides, while two other cyclists were also injured in the accident. The defendant was driving at a speed of 75-80 km/h, whereas the speed limit at that specific point on the road was 50 km/h.
He crossed into the opposite lane and hit three cyclists.
The defendant was driving from Agio Sozomeno to Potamia.
The Agios Sozomenos–Potamia road at the accident site was two-way with one traffic lane for each direction.
The two directions at the accident site were not separated by a continuous or broken white line.
On both sides of the road, there were earthen barriers, and the road was bordered by a continuous white line. At the accident site, in the defendant’s trajectory, the road formed a closed left turn with a slight downhill.
This section of the road was located within a residential area, with a speed limit of 50 km/h.
After passing the left turn of the road, the defendant’s vehicle veered off its path, moved to the right, and upon entering the opposite traffic lane, hit three cyclists, including the victim. The defendant’s vehicle came to a stop within the cyclists’ traffic lane.
Following the accident, cyclist Nektarios Pettemerides passed away on 16/02/2018. His death was due to cerebral ischaemia – necrosis, caused by traumatic separation of the right carotid and thrombosis of the middle cerebral artery on the right, as a result of a road traffic accident.
The victim was 31 years old at the time of the accident and was engaged to be married that summer, with his partner already pregnant, giving birth on 15.07.2018. Pettemerides had been an active cyclist in various cycling teams since the age of 12.
The case was handled by the Prosecutor General’s Office, represented by public prosecutor, Christina Themistocleous.
