The prosecutor seeks the conviction of the police officer for Jason’s death

Her conviction of the police-driver of the official vehicle, on which his engine collided 22-year-old Jason Lalaounis, resulting in his fatal injury, the prosecutor of the seat suggested to the Three-member Criminal Court of Athens. The verdict of the Justice is expected tomorrow, Friday (26/04).

The public prosecutor requested that the police officer be convicted of manslaughter, commenting that “the heaviest degree of negligence is borne by the defendant». Specifically, he said that the accused “did not exercise due care and with this negligence caused the death of Jason Lalaounis, driving recklessly and not respecting the KOK. He knew very well that it was forbidden and followed the dangerous practice. There was a legal way for the vehicle to enter Parliament, a way that was not followed. Cumulatively demonstrated negligent conduct». However, as he pointed out, there is complicity on the part of the deceased, who “he was driving above the legal speed limit and apparently realized that the taxi had stopped. This can be taken into account in calculating the penalty».

It was preceded by the apology of the accused driver, who insisted on the claim that he did not know that it was forbidden to turn at this point: “I’m sorry, a new person left for no reason. I wish I had the strength to contact the family sooner. From 2018 until this happened, we entered from there. That day there was a Plenary meeting, we were informed that the entrance from Amalia is closed and we cannot enter from there. We could not enter through another entrance. The machine informed us that people had gathered in the Propylaia. The only way he was staying was this. No one had told us that it was forbidden. We wouldn’t be infringing with so many cameras in the center of Athens” he argued and added that “all over B. Sofia where turning left is prohibited there is a sign. At this particular point it does not exist. After the car accident, they sent us an e-mail on March 16 telling us that no one will enter unless there is an official».

Chairman: “Did you look left and right?”

Accused: “Yes.”

Chairman: “Can you estimate the speed of the machine?”

Accused: “Surely the speed was high. I appreciate it only from the fact that my passenger was thrown into the windshield and such a vehicle jerked. (..) The safest thing would be to have done the square and enter from the Academy.”

Father of victim: “In order not to lose three minutes of your life, you killed my son.”

Accused: “It’s a shame a young man has left. I’m a father too and I can’t imagine my life without my son.”

Earlier, the police officers serving at the scene, testified as witnesses and declared ignorance as to whether the left turn of a vehicle from Vas. Sophia in the Parliament is illegal, despite the lines on the asphalt.

A citizen, however, who was an eyewitness to the accident, was critical of what happened, commenting:The driver of the black car is to blame, it can also be seen from the cameras».

Describing what he saw that afternoon, the witness said: “In our Parliament, he caught a traffic light, the taxi was in front, he starts driving fast and cuts into fractions. I see a black vehicle in front of the Parliament. To my right I notice a motorcycle. The black car enters from the right towards the Parliament and at that moment the motorcycle crashes on top. He tried to maneuver. If it was more than 50 kilometers, there would be no motorbike. Smash the kid into a wall. A helmet flew away. I don’t know if he was wearing it or if the strap was cut. I believe it should not have gone more than 50 kilometers».

The witness, a nurse by profession, rushed to help 22-year-old Jason: “I walk over the child and saw fluids running from the skull. I couldn’t give first aid. She was badly injureds” he argued and added: “It happened very quickly. Not even the child could react. There was no room for him to react. He realized it too late, he was at a wall».

Category support: “Did the occupants of the vehicle go to the injured person at all?”

Witness: “I do not remember. They got out of the car. One was looking at the damage done to the car, someone called EKAV, there were police officers from cages. I don’t remember exactly what happened.”

In fact, his wife and co-driver on that day testified that the traffic officer who was at the scene, immediately after the traffic accident “he was chasing people away and even a motorbike that got down to help threatened him to hang up».

“He could not foresee the unforeseeable”

On the witness stand was also technical expert of the family of Jason, Pan. Madiaswho claimed that the 22-year-old “he found himself in a dangerously constituted situation resulting in his complete surprise“, adding that “he didn’t have time to react. And with 50 kilometers to go, he still wouldn’t be able to avoid danger».

According to the technical expert, the machine was traveling at 67 kilometers at the time of impact. “At the time he was surprised, he was 17 meters away from the vehicle. He was doomed to crash. It did not have unlimited visibility. The volume of the cab blocked his visibility. He could not foresee the unforeseeable».

According to the second expert Vasilis Arabatzakisthe 67 kilometers at the time of impact is justified, as the motorcyclist “he made an acceleration maneuver because he would not be able to stop with the brakes. It was all he could do». According to the witness: “in addition to the illegal move to turn left, the official vehicle surprised the driver by stopping on the road. And this while the space on the pavement is sufficient to place the entire vehicle even if the bar is closed».