Court reduces sentence for fatal crash outside BabySam

A man who killed a 65-year-old soon-to-be grandfather in a crash outside a BabySam store on Roskildevej in Valby has had his sentence reduced to four years in prison by the Eastern High Court, DR reports.

The now 18-year-old driver was convicted of reckless driving causing death but had his sentence cut by one year from the lower court’s ruling. The high court unanimously upheld the guilt but lowered the penalty, citing his young age.

Prosecutors had alleged the driver was under the influence of nitrous oxide, but the presiding judge said no evidence supported this. The court found he had been driving at 70 km/h in a 50 km/h zone and acted recklessly.

The defendant admitted driving the Porsche but denied the charges of gross negligence leading to death and serious injury, the latter after the victim’s daughter-in-law was severely hurt in the collision.

Before the verdict, the 18-year-old apologised to the victim’s family in court, saying, “I owe them a huge apology. I can’t imagine how they must feel, or how the grandchild will grow up without a grandfather.”