Man sentenced to six years in prison for killing elderly couple with his car

The District Court in Rotterdam convicted Mark G. of driving into a 79-year-old man and his 74-year-old girlfriend in a hit-and-run collision in Rotterdam last year. The 37-year-old was sentenced to six years in prison and mandatory treatment in a TBS psychiatric institution. He was also banned from driving for a period of ten years for what the court called “reckless driving behavior.”

The collision happened on September 2 on the Maasboulevard during the World Port Days event. The couple had a green light at a zebra crossing, and started to walk across the street. The car struck them while they were crossing, and both victims died at the scene.

G. fled the scene after the incident. He was charged with leving the scene of a crime as well as manslaughter. The Rotterdam man turned himself in to police a day later. He admitted to having “a lot of regret” in earlier court hearings.

G. had smoked marijuana on the day of the accident and “tore” through the city “blind drunk,” according to the court. He ignored red traffic lights and drove 80 to 100 kilometers per hour through residential areas. He was clocked at 111 kilometers per hour at the zebra crossing at the time of the collision where a maximum of 50 kilometers an hour was allowed.

“The man has brought unspeakable pain to the relatives of the victims,” the court stated.

The Public Prosecution Service recommended a jail sentence of eight years and mandatory treatment in a TBS psychiatric institution two weeks ago. But the punishment ended up lower as the court expects the man “to stay in a TBS clinic for a long time.”