Street race against yourself

Created: 07/07/2022, 08:00

By: Hans Moritz

The police were only able to stop the speeder after several kilometers.

© Patrick Seeger/dpa

A young man raced through Erding and across the country at a murderous pace.

He now has to pay heavily for that.

The District Court showed no mercy.

Erding – At 140 km/h through Langengeisling, at 170 km/h on the country road to Berglern – two Erding police officers will not soon forget this chase on the night of September 29 last year because of the breakneck speed.

But neither did the 25-year-old racer: the district court in Erding sentenced him to a fine of 4,500 euros and a total of nine months' driver's license suspension.

Judge Michaela Wawerla's verdict is remarkable in that she went beyond the prosecutor's demand (€3,600 fine) with her sentence, while defense attorney Jürgen Hadinger pleaded for acquittal.

It was already the second trial about the "prohibited motor vehicle race" according to the penal code.

Because important witnesses were missing in the first hearing, so it was now a reunion.

As reported, police officers noticed a drifting vehicle during a routine check in Erding and followed it.

Both testified on the witness stand that it was not that easy, the young man had raced so fast in his 1-series BMW.

Among other things, he overtook two cars in a curve that was not visible.

The patrol only managed to stop the car at Glaslern.

The driver, who now lives in Garching, explained again that he had never, ever driven that fast.

His lawyer said it could have been a mix-up, at least in town.

Hadinger denied that it was "a race against himself".

There can also be no talk of recklessness and endangerment.

With that, the accusation was off the table, his client was to be acquitted.

The prosecutor saw it differently.

The journey was extremely dangerous.

She demanded a fine of 90 daily rates of 40 euros each.

Judge Wawerla imposed an even higher sentence on the father of two small children, who had previously been convicted of theft – 90 daily rates of 50 euros each.

It is at best theoretically possible that it could have been an unknown third vehicle in town.

The officials were witnesses for the rest of the journey.

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