On March 10 of this year, things went horribly wrong: when the 46-year-old mother of the family from Raamsdonksveer wanted to overtake a truck on the highway, De G. drove hard into the back of the family’s car. The entire family was in the car at the time: the mother, 46-year-old father, 13-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter. Shortly after the impact, the car caught fire.
Not killed instantly
During the trial, the presiding judge said: “Not all victims died instantly.” Bystanders stated that they tried to get the mother, who was still alive at the time, out of the car. “The impact was so great that the doors were twisted and that did not work.
The suspect, 33-year-old Thomas de G., also says he tried to help the family. He was only slightly injured in the accident. “I know I pulled on that door, but the handle broke off and I couldn’t open that door,” he said emotionally. According to witnesses, he was in such shock that he could no longer help.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, it has been established how the accident could have happened: De G. stated that he was returning from a friend and had drunk nine to ten beers. Shortly before the accident, he was driving on the highway at a speed of 254 kilometers per hour. He only braked sharply at the last second, causing him to crash into the family at about 205 kilometers per hour.
Filmed with mobile phone
De G. filmed his ride with his mobile phone. He says he doesn’t remember that ride, only the collision. But according to the Public Prosecution Service, this was a deliberate action. “His Seat really couldn’t be any faster.” De G.’s phone also contains many more videos showing that he previously committed serious traffic violations.
He had also previously been convicted of driving under the influence and had already lost his driver’s license. The family’s relatives attended the trial. A sister of the deceased woman made an emotional statement:
De G. said about the relatives: “I think it’s terrible how they feel. This should never have been allowed.” According to his lawyer, he was surprised when the family’s car started to overtake the truck and he would have wanted to avoid a collision by braking. He believes there is no manslaughter.
But the Public Prosecution Service thinks differently about this. That requires 7 years in prison. Because, according to experts, De G. has a personality disorder that requires intensive treatment, the Public Prosecution Service also demands TBS with compulsory treatment. De G. denies that he has an alcohol addiction, “but his father and ex-girlfriend think differently,” says the Public Prosecution Service, which also believes that De G. should be banned from driving for ten years. “He did not care at all about the lives of others. His driving behavior took the lives of an entire family.”
TBS for a traffic accident?
You don’t hear it very often: someone who (however culpable) causes a traffic accident and has to be sentenced to a hospital order for it. Yet in recent years, relatively heavy penalties have been demanded more often for traffic issues, says emeritus professor of sanctions law Henny Sackers.
“20 years ago, the law changed so that criminal law can be used in traffic matters. In recent years, you have seen the Public Prosecution Service making more use of this. In these types of cases, with this driving behavior and alcohol, the Public Prosecution Service increasingly sees the car more often as a murder weapon.”
“This means that the Public Prosecution Service demands heavier penalties, such as TBS and prison sentences. Society could not understand that there were lower maximum sentences for these types of traffic offences. You could say that the government has thus met the wishes of society.”
2023-12-19 05:00:54
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