WILLEMSTAD - On Wednesday, the judge sentenced a 42-year-old motorist to only one year in prison and a two-year suspension of driving. According to the judge, it has been convincingly proven that the man killed a 19-year-old mother and her baby in a traffic accident on Helmin Magno Wiels Boulevard on August 16, 2019. The man was speeding and driving through a red light. The penalty is equal to the demand of the Public Prosecution Service.

The judge further stated that the man did not stop for the pedestrian crossing with her child in her arms, causing a collision with them. The General Court established this based on the investigation by the police, statements of witnesses, information from the forensic pathologist and the accused's own statements. The argument of the defense that the suspect did not drive too fast, drove through orange light and that the victim herself was careless were rejected by the Court.

The General Court heavily blamed the accused for neglecting his responsibility as a road user with fatal consequences. The accident had a major impact not only on the families of the victims, but also on the various witnesses and the suspect and his family. The suspect will have to live for the rest of his life with the circumstance that, due to his driving behavior, he killed two young people, the judge said.

In determining the sentence, the General Court looked at the orientation points used by criminal courts in such cases. The Court of First Instance considered that this involved not one but two victims and that the suspect did not acknowledge that he made mistakes but blamed the accident on the victim.