Driver living ‘illegally’ in TRNC for five years

A DRIVER who was arrested after crashing into a parked vehicle in Lefkoşa last Sunday has been living in the country “illegally” for five years, a court heard.

Blessing Tafadzwa Mumvenge, 26, appeared before Lefkoşa District Court following the crash.

Police officer Gökhan Kılbaş testified to the court that Mumvenge was charged with “drink driving”, “reckless driving”, “driving without a driving licence”, “driving without insurance”, “speeding” and “unauthorised use of a vehicle without permission from the owner”.

Officer Kılbaş explained that on May 8, at around 3.25am, the suspect was “intoxicated” and speeding while driving south in the left lane of the Bedrettin Demirel Caddesi dual carriageway in Lefkoşa, and lost control of the hire car in front of the Arsın flour factory.

The car went off the road and hit the right rear side of a parked truck and then a road sign in the central reservation.

Officer Kılbaş said the vehicle then caught fire from the impact, “completely burning the car’s engine and partially burning its interior” and that the fire was extinguished by the fire department. Pointing out that noone was injured in the accident, officer Kılbaş noted that the estimated damage was 150,000TL for the suspect’s car, 10,000TL for the truck, and 1,000TL for the traffic sign.

As part of the investigation that was carried out, officer Kılbaş said it was learned that the suspect had entered the country on February 18, 2017, and that he has “been here illegally since then”. Judge Mine Ozankaya ordered that the suspect be remanded in custody for no longer than one month.