Woman sentenced to two and a half years in prison for killing man

A woman was convicted of Drunk driver driving the wrong way on the highway and struck and killed oncoming driver.

In the early morning of October 30, 2021, the woman was driving on the highway between Limassol and Nicosia and collided head-on with Ahmed Said’s car near the village of Moni.

She had travelled a total of eight kilometres on the wrong side of the motorway before colliding with Syed’s car. After the collision, her alcohol level was found to be three times the legal driving limit.

Explaining her decision, Judge Dora Varoshiotou spoke of the “seriousness” of road accidents in Cyprus and said Drivers ‘necessarily’ obey the law.

She also noted the woman was intoxicated at the time of the collision and said: “She showed a clear disregard for her own safety and that of other road users which was extremely serious.”

“Drunk driving seriously affects the driver’s driving abilitycontrol of the vehicle, and their judgment and reactions, make the risk of harm to the driver themselves and others possible and foreseeable.

“Unfortunately, in the case before me, the danger was not just potential, but became real, with the tragic consequences we know of,” she said.

She then recounted the distance the woman had travelled against the flow of traffic and the position put forward by the defence.

“I consider it a serious matter that the defendant drove eight kilometres in the wrong direction on the highway. This is thoughtless, dangerous and reckless.… The defence’s argument that 250 metres of visibility was sufficient for the victim to escape is clearly unacceptable,” she said.

She added: “When the victim saw the defendant’s vehicle coming towards him on the wrong side of the highway, he was extremely anxious and it apparently did not occur to him to do anything to avoid the collision.”

However, she did point to some mitigating factors she considered, including that the woman had attempted suicide twice.

“I also thought The defendant was given higher doses of prescription medication and antidepressants Trying to curb her self-destructive tendencies,” Varoshiotou said.

She added: “I consider that an immediate custodial sentence would cause her further mental distress” and that this would work in her favour given her “difficult childhood” and “personal circumstances”.

“I also took into account that the defendant was recently married. “In addition, I consider that the defendant suffered serious bodily harm as a result of her driving behaviour,” she said.

She also ordered the woman to “receive appropriate medical care and psychological support” in prison.