Crime

Prison, bail denied for “drunk driver”

The suspect arriving in court in Manacor yesterday and the scene of the tragic crime. | Andrew Ede - Alejandro Sepulveda

Humphrey CarterSa Rapita26/06/2018 00:00

The female driver who ran over and killed a 15-year-old girl in Sa Rapita was yesterday denied bail and held on remand. The tragic accident occurred at 2am in the early hours of Sunday when 15-year-old Paula Fornés was walking home having been out to celebrate San Joan. Originally from Marratxi, the family has a holiday home in Sa Rapita and the teenager was walking home along the cycle lane in Campos when she was knocked down by a 44-year-old Polish driver who has only been id e ntified as Renata G.

The driver failed to stop at the scene, a crime in itself, while witnesses called the emergency services.

Paramedics fought for nearly 30 minutes to revive the teenager but in the end, the impact had apparently been so violent, there was nothing the emergency teams could have done to have saved the young girl’s life.

The driver was eventually located and stopped by the police and she failed an alcohol test at the scene - she was apparently five times over the permitted limit.

The cause of the accident is still being investigated, but Guardia Civil Traffic investigators suspect that the driver lost control of her vehicle and swerved off the road onto the cycle lane and in to the teenager.

A driver behind the Pole, who saw her flee the scene, carried on following the vehicle directing the police to where the suspect was heading and it was his quick thinking that enabled the police to catch the suspect so quickly.

Yesterday morning she appeared before a remand hearing in Manacor and was ordered to be held on remand - bail was denied.She arrived at the courts with a cloth blanket over her head in attempt to avoid being caught on camera. She faces charges of traffic infringements, accidental homicide plus driving under the influence of alcohol.