Man given three years in prison for fatal car accident

A 32-year-old man on Wednesday was handed a three-year jail sentence by Limassol district court after being found guilty of causing a triple fatal car accident in 2017 that ended the lives of Andreas Yasemi, 32, Dimitris Savva, also 32, and Panayiotis Stefanou, 26.

The triple fatality occurred a few minutes after 5am on May 27, 2017, after the accused driver ran the red light at the intersection of Synergatismos and Grigoris Afxentiou streets in Pano Polemidia, killing all three passengers instantly.

It was later determined that aside from bypassing the red light, he was speeding and was under the influence of alcohol and drugs, while his vehicle was uninsured or unlicensed.

After protracted court proceedings and a case considered very difficult, the legal service succeeded in convicting the accused on all 14 charges on February 17, the most serious being causing death due to a thoughtless, reckless or dangerous act.

The court ruled that it was not a momentary mistake and that traffic accidents are a scourge for Cypriot society and have taken alarming dimensions.

The court took into account, as mitigating factors, his clean criminal record, his family circumstances and the fact that he is the father of two minors, the delay observed in processing the case and the regret expressed by the 32-year-old, however noted that they are not grounds for suspension of sentence.

The 32-year-old’s father was also fined on two counts of allowing his son to drive a stationary vehicle without insurance and without a license.