Blatant insult to the memory of 46-year-old Christina Camilla Palmdahl, a victim of a fatal accident in Ayia Napa, but also of the entire Cypriot society, is the decision of the Famagusta District Court, her family says.
The 26-year-old British driver of the buggy vehicle that lured her to her death and left her on the tarmac was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
- Grief over the death of the unfortunate tourist. She had left her little girl at the hotel for a while (video)
- Fatal overtaking... fatal holiday. Tourist who was swept away by a buggy (pics-video)
In a statement issued by the law firm, ALEXANDROU & VAROUDAKIS DEPE, representing the victim's family states that while there was testimony on the basis of which it was proven that the driver in question was driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he caused the accident, this was not taken into account either by the Prosecution or by the Court when imposing the sentence.
In fact, four elements that were not taken into account by the Court in imposing the sentence are listed and the family questions whether the Cypriot Courts show leniency to drivers who abandon their victims.
In conclusion, it states that it expects the Legal Service to proceed with an appeal of the sentence imposed on the English driver in order to ensure that justice is properly administered, but also to save other victims from such road behaviour and unjust decisions.
The statement itself:
"The decision to impose a 12-month jail sentence on the driver who caused the death of 46-year-old Christina Camilla Palmdahl[/I], is a BAD insult to the memory of the victim, her family but is also an insult to the entire Cypriot society. Despite the fact that there was testimony to prove that the driver in question was clearly driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he caused the accident, this was not taken into account by either the Prosecution or the Court in imposing the sentence, since they ignored the fact that when the driver was detected the alcohol and drug tests to which he was subjected had a positive reading (!). It was also not taken into account at all, neither by the Prosecution nor by the Court that:
- The driver completely abandoned his vehicle and the scene without offering any assistance to Camilla[/I]. By this action he indicated his intention to avoid any liability, while knowing that the rental vehicle was registered in his name and was certain to be traced. [/I]
- Witnesses in the area have stated that for many yards before, if not miles, he was driving in an extremely dangerous and reckless manner, behavior that is a daily and year-round occurrence on Island Avenue by tourists driving buggy-type vehicles.
- The driver/defendant, for mitigation purposes and to support his "alleged" remorse, sent a written letter of intent to pay a sum of money to the victim's 5-year-old daughter, who, we recall, was only a few feet away from the scene of her mother's death. While that sentence was used in Court as a mitigating factor to reduce his sentence, neither he nor anyone else on his part went ahead with the fulfillment of the above sentence.
- In the high-profile decision of the Limassol Criminal Court exactly 12 months earlier, the Russian driver who caused the death of 27-year-old Panagiotis Christoforou while under the influence of alcohol and drugs was charged with manslaughter and sentenced to 9 years in prison.
We wonder whether the Cyprus Courts finally show leniency to drivers who abandon their victims. Perhaps if the English driver of the Buggy that killed Camilla did not leave the scene, he would be sentenced to 9 years instead of 12 months?[/I]
In view of all of the above, for the proper administration of justice, and to save other victims from such road behaviour and unjust decisions, we expect the Legal Service to proceed with an appeal of the sentence imposed on the English driver."
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