A drunken stepper who killed a Chihuahua in a shopping street in Sint-Niklaas in East Flanders is on trial in the police court. There he risks a hefty fine and a four-month driving ban. “He deliberately ran over our dog and didn’t even look back,” the animal’s owners said.
Bert Foubert
Regional journalist at HLN
The collision happened in June last year in Stationsstraat in Sint-Niklaas. A couple was walking their chihuahua at 9 p.m. when a stepper suddenly appeared. “The man passed us and at the last moment swerved to the right,” the owners testified together with their lawyer Alain Legat in the police court of Sint-Niklaas. “The man deliberately drove straight towards our dog. He ran over the animal, which did not survive the impact. After the collision, the man simply drove on without even looking back. This is all evident from the camera images of the accident.”
The owners of the Chihuahua as well as several cyclists and pedestrians tried to overtake the man and make him stop. Ultimately that didn’t work, after which the stepper drove home. The local police of Sint-Niklaas arrested him there. The man turned out to have 0.69 per mille of alcohol in his blood and was drunk, according to the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office. “I was unstable on my scooter and that’s why I swerved,” S. told the police. “I thought I had only hit the dog’s leash or paw.”
S. himself was not present during his trial in the police court. The chihuahua’s owners, together with their lawyer, emphasized the impact of the dog’s death. “There are worse things in life, but it remains a deeply painful issue,” they explained. “The dog belonged to our deceased daughter. S. doesn’t even bother to be present.”
The stepper risks a four-month driving ban and a fine of 3,600 euros. The public prosecutor’s office also wants him to pass medical and psychological exams before he can drive again. The chihuahua’s owners are also asking for a refund of the purchase price of 2,250 euros for the animal.
The judge will make a ruling on May 27.
