Prosecution Service: suspect was driving at 130 km/h in fatal collision
New details emerged about the accident near Vogelwaarde during the first public hearing.
The 20-year-old suspect in the fatal collision near Vogelwaarde was driving at 130 kilometres per hour shortly before the accident. The Public Prosecution Service reported this on Wednesday during the first public hearing in Breda.
The suspect from Hulst is accused of causing a traffic accident in which four people were killed and others seriously injured. The accident happened on 11 June in Vogelwaarde, when a group of children and supervisors was hit during a school camp.
The fatal victims included three 12-year-old children and an adult. In total, 14 schoolchildren and two supervisors were involved in the group. The case therefore affects not only the bereaved families, but also the school community in Axel and the surrounding area.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect was driving at 130 kilometres per hour shortly before the collision. That speed was established during the investigation into what happened. The public prosecutor presented the figure during the first preliminary hearing, at which the court does not yet give a ruling on guilt or punishment.
An earlier court decision on pre-trial detention referred to serious concerns about the speed, insufficient braking and problems with the car's power steering. The court kept the suspect in custody because the interests of criminal justice outweighed his personal interest in release.
The Public Prosecution Service initially also suspected the man of driving under the influence of cannabis. According to the prosecutor, blood tests showed that the THC concentration was below the criminal-law threshold. That suspicion has therefore been dropped. This says nothing about the other elements of the allegations.
Wednesday's hearing was mainly intended to discuss the further course of the criminal case. The court must still decide which investigative requests will be carried out and when the substantive hearing will take place. The suspect is legally presumed innocent until a judge has established his guilt.
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The key facts can be traced to the Public Prosecution Service via ANP and to a public court decision. The criminal case is still ongoing, so guilt and punishment have not been established.
- confirmed The suspect was driving at 130 kilometres per hour shortly before the collision. — The Public Prosecution Service reported this at the first public hearing, according to ANP. source
- confirmed Three children and an adult were killed in the accident. — This is stated in ANP's reporting on the hearing. source
- confirmed The suspect is from Hulst and is 20 years old. — The same ANP report gives his age and place of residence. source
- confirmed The allegation of driving under the influence of cannabis has been dropped because the THC concentration was below the threshold. — The Public Prosecution Service reported this during the hearing. source
- confirmed In its decision on pre-trial detention, the court referred to speed, insufficient braking and problems with the power steering. — These circumstances are stated in the public court decision. source
Editor's note
The speed, the amended THC allegation and the procedural status are based on reporting by the Public Prosecution Service via ANP and an earlier court decision. No substantive ruling on guilt has yet been made.Sources
- OM: verdachte dodelijke aanrijding Vogelwaarde reed 130 per uur — ANP via Welingelichte Kringen
- Beslissing voorlopige hechtenis verdachte aanrijding N290 — Rechtbank Zeeland-West-Brabant
- Rechtszaak over schoolkampdrama Vogelwaarde begint met eerste zitting — DagKern