Hiddenhausen: Fatal ride on souped-up motorcycles – defendant sentenced to suspended sentence

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Bielefeld Regional Court: Verdict against speeder

Photo: Friso Gentsch / dpa

On March 8, 2022, two young men rode through the municipality of Hiddenhausen in North Rhine-Westphalia on souped-up motorcycles. The Bielefeld Regional Court has now determined that they had not been involved in a race, but rather that it had been a kind of "driving fun", which, however, had been characterized by "frightening recklessness".

One of the two defendants, a 24-year-old, hit a resident at excessive speed, fatally injuring him. The district court has now sentenced him to two years in prison on probation for negligent homicide. The defendant himself was seriously injured in the accident and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. The court considered this to be a mitigating circumstance.

The second driver, now 20 years old, who was not directly involved in the accident, was convicted under juvenile criminal law. He must complete a road safety education course and pay 3600 euros in installments to the traffic patrol.

According to the court, it remained unclear why the 58-year-old victim had suddenly run into the street. It is possible that the man bears "a certain share of the blame".

The 24-year-old motorcyclist was just about to overtake when the resident appeared in front of him. He had seen it too late – among other things, because he had illegally installed illegal headlights with a restricted view cone on the motorcycle in addition to a racing fairing to reduce weight, according to the court.

The 24-year-old hit the pedestrian at high speed: According to the report, the impact speed was 72 kilometers per hour. In addition, the 24-year-old did not have a driver's license, which also had an influence on the sentence. On the other hand, he has been permanently dependent on care since the accident. As a result, the trial could only last two hours at a time.

Thus, the joint prosecution with its demand for imprisonment without parole for the accident driver and juvenile detention for the younger one was unsuccessful.

ala/dpa