Maltese teen who ran over Polish cyclist imprisoned in Poland for four years

Maltese underage teenager who ran over and killed a cyclist in Poland without a driving license has been sentenced to four years in prison and given a lifetime ban.

The 18-year-old Maltese was sentenced to four years in prison for the fatal hit and run of a cyclist. The court found that the boy was driving without a driving license and under the influence of marijuana. He was also given a lifetime driving ban.

The judgment given by Piaseczyn District Court found him guilty of causing a fatal accident, which occurred on June 3 last year.

READ MORE: Underage Maltese driver kills cyclist in Poland

At the age of 17, the boy sat behind the wheel of a Mercedes, even though he had no driving license. Around 17:00 on Powsińska Street in Bielawa on the outskirts of Warsaw he lost control of the car and crossed to the opposite lane, then hit the 77-year-old cyclist. The man died on the spot.

According to the court, the teenager deliberately violated the principles of road safety when he was driving at least twice over the 30 km/h speed limit.

Preliminary investigations at the scene confirmed that the driver was sober. Subsequent drug tests, however, showed that he was taking marijuana. "He was under the influence of a narcotic drug in the form of THC at a concentration of at least 7.76 mg/ml" according to the court press section.

The 18-year-old has been waiting for the court's sentence in custody since June 2018. "The court ruled against the accused, a ban on driving all motor vehicles for life," the court informed. The boy will also have to pay PLN 30,000 (EUR 6,921) to the wife of the deceased cyclist. The court dismissed him from having to pay court costs.

The teenager's defender did not agree with the sentence, saying that the decision is too harsh. The court did not take into account mitigating circumstances, such as the age of the perpetrator or incorrect marking of the road. Another thing is the test for the presence of intoxicants, which were made a few weeks after the event.

Wiktoria Domaradzka was defense counsel.

The sentence will be appealed.