Angelce Nikolov’s Sentence Reduced from 18 to Eight Years

On Monday, the Court of Appeals reduced the prison sentence of driver Angelce Nikolov from Veles from 18 to eight years. On 17 December, last year, Angelov, driving under the influence of alcohol, hit 11-year-old Magdalena Ivanova on a zebra crossing near Vasil Glavinov Primary School.

Ivanova lost her life, while her mother was injured in the traffic accident too. According to the expertise, the driver was not only under the influence of alcohol, but he was also going twice the limit. While he was driving the car, a Mercedes, there was a ban on him driving a vehicle as well. After the accident, the driver fled the scene and was hiding for 37 hours in the settlement of Prevalec.

According to the Court of Appeals, the Veles Court didn’t sufficiently asses all mitigating circumstances for the driver, including the promise he will not repeat what he did, his contribution to the efficient completion of the process by pleading guilty, the expressed remorse, and the fact that he is a young person that hasn’t so far been convicted.

Ivanova’s mother fiercely criticised the latest developments, saying she was disappointed by the judiciary in the country.