Widower cries foul in Ayia Napa buggy fatality

A Swedish man whose wife was killed in an Ayia Napa buggy accident in early May is in the market for an appeal lawyer in Cyprus, with reports saying he has several questions after a British national was sentenced to one year through an expedited trial procedure.

Jonas Palmdahl is on a crusade to file an appeal in connection with the death of his wife, Camilla Christina, who was killed in a late afternoon road accident on May 4 in Ayia Napa, Famagusta district.

According to details in the case, the 46-year-old woman started using a pedestrian crossing outside her hotel when a rented buggy driven by a British male struck her after overtaking another vehicle that was either parked or in yielding position at the crosswalk.

Local media said the buggy driver, identified by the Daily Mail as 25-year-old British national Manraj Singh Sidhu, reportedly fled on foot while reports suggested he had a passenger who remained at the scene of the accident.

During a hearing on Monday, a Famagusta court sentenced Sidhu to 12 months in prison and also ordered his driver’s license suspended for 18 months.

But Palmdahl, who told the Daily Mail this week he had no idea the suspect had already been sentenced, says the defendant was rushed through the justice system with many questions left unanswered.

“What about the fact he was supposed to be drunk and that he had taken drugs? None of this appears to have been taken into consideration,” he was quoted as saying.

According to Ayia Napa police the driver of the buggy was administered alcohol and drug tests following his arrest, with a Breathalyzer pointing to almost five times the limit while it was also reported that he was under the influence of hallucinogenic substances.

No information about a buggy passenger was made available, with police telling Knews there was only one person involved in the investigation.

But Knews learned on Saturday that the 25-year-old was the only defendant in the case and was prosecuted on a total of five charges, including vehicular manslaughter, driving without insurance, reckless driving, fleeing the scene of an accident, and failure to report an incident.

“It is totally crazy,” Palmdahl said, arguing the court had failed to appreciate fully what had happened including the speed factor.

The 51-year-old widower said the family was planning to appeal the sentence.

“It's very early stages at the moment but we want to find a lawyer in Cyprus who will make an appeal to the Attorney General,” he said.

The sentencing was not immediately made public while Palmdahl said he had been notified by MailOnline, which was the only media organization in the courtroom when Sidhu made his first appearance before a judge.

“Where is the justice? My brother-in-law has flown to Cyprus to try and get more information and to see what we can do about making an appeal,” he said.