On September 21, 2023, the District Court of Debrecen held a preparatory session in the case of the accused, against whom the prosecution brought charges for the crime of endangering the road and other crimes.
At the preparatory meeting, the defendant admitted to the crime charged against him, but did not waive his right to a trial, so the judge referred the case to trial.
According to the verdict, on December 14, 2021, around 6:45 p.m., the defendant was driving the BMW car he was driving in Debrecen, on Martonfalvi Street, during which he followed his former girlfriend’s BMW car. The woman was not alone in the car, but two of her friends were also traveling with her. During his progress, the defendant overtook him with his vehicle, then deliberately hit the car in front of him from behind.
The man chased his ex-girlfriend, whose car he hit again from behind in Dóczy József utca. The victim pulled over at a nearby bus stop, the defendant noticed this and drove the side of his car into the woman’s vehicle.
The frightened woman then stepped on the gas and started in the direction of Pallagi út. The accused followed the woman, then hit the back of the victim’s car again in the parking lot in front of Augusta. The two cars turned right on Nagyerdei körút and then drove towards the University Square. They both entered the roundabout there. The victim wanted to leave the roundabout in the direction of Dóczy József utca, when the accused again drove his car into the woman’s car, which he began to push. They made a full circle around the roundabout in this way, then proceeded towards Dóczy József utca. For traffic reasons, they both stopped before the designated pedestrian crossing at the Bolyai utca intersection, at which point the defendant got out of his car and ran to his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle, hitting the rear windshield of it.
The man’s aggressive and flamboyant behavior was capable of causing shock and alarm in those who noticed it. The incident was reported to the police, meanwhile the frightened woman drove off in the direction of Bolyai utca so that the policemen who were on the road in the meantime could take the accused into action.
The defendant persistently chased his ex-girlfriend, and they covered about 4.2 kilometers before the police took action. There were no personal injuries, but the defendant’s driving behavior directly endangered the lives and physical integrity of the people in the other vehicle.
At the trial, the defendant did not deny the crime, he only asked the court for a lighter sentence compared to the moderate motion of the prosecution.
The first-instance court found the defendant guilty of the crime of endangering the road and the misdemeanor of disorderly conduct. Therefore, in accordance with the moderate motion, he was sentenced to 50 days in prison and a fine of HUF 240,000, and was also banned from driving on the road for 2 years.
When justifying the sentence, the judge assessed as an aggravating circumstance the fact that the defendant endangered several people with his behavior and committed the crime with persistent intent. At the same time, she took into account as mitigating circumstances the fact that the man had no criminal record, admitted to his crime, and that in the meantime he had a minor child, whom he had to take care of.
The judgment of the court is not final. The prosecution took note of the decision, while the accused appealed for mitigation. The case continues at the Debrecen Court.
(Debrecen Court)
