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A BMW driver in Sevilla who hit and ran a baby in Sevilla while high on drugs has been sentenced to three years in prison.
The tragic incident occurred in Castiblanco de los Arroyos in November 2020, when Jose María VV, 25 at the time, mowed down a mother and her baby daughter at a zebra crossing in the middle of the afternoon.
Jose Maria was high on heroin, cocaine and cannabis when he hit the mother pushing the pram.
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Jose Maria sped off without stopping to get out of his car. He left his victims for passersby to help.
They were rushed to a medical centre, where the mother was found to have suffered severe injuries all over her body, including a broken spine.
Tragically, the infant died from her injuries a few days later.
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Jose Maria’s dad called the police a few hours later and confessed to his son.
Jose Maria informed the Guardia Civil of his accident, saying that the lighter he was using fell to the floor. He bent down to retrieve it.
He claimed that he swerved his vehicle to avoid hitting a white car and hit the baby carriage. He then claimed that he had fled the scene because he had heard shouting and he was ‘scared’.
The court took note of his confession, made to the authorities before he even knew that he was being investigated.
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His relatively light sentence was due to this mitigating factor.
The court found that the 29 year old had also ignored the most basic driving rules, including the need to stop near pedestrian crossings, and that drugs were affecting his driving.
José María defence lawyer pleaded for leniency based on his client’s drug addiction and delays in the legal process.
The court considered his drug abuse and confession as mitigating factors. The court did not accept that there were any delays in the legal proceedings.
Jose Maria was sentenced in total to three years seven months in prison, with a driving ban of five years. His BMW was also confiscated.
