Driver in fatal crash ‘was drunk’

A DRIVER accused of causing a crash in which his passenger died last week was drunk, a court heard on Tuesday.

Hasan Serkan Gün, 25, appeared before Güzelyurt District Court after he was discharged from hospital following the head-on collision on the LefkoşaGüzelyurt main road on November 1, in which Melisa Yıldırım, also 25, died.

The smash happened at 4.30am when Mr Gün entered the dual carriageway facing the wrong direction as he pulled out from a petrol station.

A police officer who testified before the court said that Mr Gün’s blood contained 182mg of alcohol per 100ml.

The defendant had three previous convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol, and one conviction for driving without a licence, the police officer told the court.

Judge Günay Süleymanoğlu remanded the suspect – a dual TRNCTurkish national with “no permanent job or qualifications” – in custody for 45 days due to the risk he could attempt to “escape from justice”.

Meanwhile police in Lefkoşa said they caught seven people driving while drunk during random checks last Saturday. A total of 48 motorists were charged for driving offences out of 380 vehicles stopped, police said.

The arrests came as police launched a new billboard and social media campaign urging drivers to wear their seatbelts and keep their eyes on the road.

Police inspector Cevdet Demirel said in a TV interview that there had been around 2,200 accidents on the TRNC’s roads in the first 10 months of 2020.

Driving without due care and attention, speeding and using a mobile phone while at the wheel were the main causes of crashes, he said.

A driver speaking on phone while driving was almost five times more likely to be involved in a crash than other drivers, Insp Demirel added.