The court returned the case against the drug addict Metin, who swept and killed a runner near Plovdiv

The court returned the case against Metin, who last summer caused a serious accident on the road between Ustina and Krichim. While driving a car, without a license and under the influence of drugs, he hit a jogger, who subsequently died. Errors in the indictment, however, necessitated the termination of the present proceedings and the return of the case to the prosecution.

Metin has been charged with two counts of causing death while operating a motor vehicle and driving under the influence of amphetamines, the act having been committed after he had been convicted of another such crime.

The incident happened around 8:00 p.m. on August 2 last year. Then Metin got into a car with his girlfriend and left the village of Ustina towards Krichim. On the road, his car ran over 33-year-old Mitko Pepelanov, who had gone out after work to do sports, running by the side of the road.

Metin was tested for alcohol and drugs after the crash and tested positive for amphetamine. A check in the records of the Ministry of the Interior showed that the man had a revoked license for law enforcement. According to the police, after the accident, Metin tried to cover his tracks by saying that his girlfriend was driving the car.

After the accident, Dimitar was taken to hospital, in intensive care with a severe brain injury, where he fought for his life for half a year. He died on February 2, 2024, exactly half a year after the accident. This necessitated the reclassification of the charges against Metin into more serious ones and the case was transferred from the District Court to the District Court – Plovdiv.

During the cases in which the measure of remand was considered, Metin shared that he was very sorry, he even shed tears. He repeatedly tried to appease the court with the arguments that his mother has cancer and if he remains in custody it will ruin her. The two courts, however, left Metin with the most serious measure of remand, “detention in custody”. He has also been caught driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs before, and has also been arrested for possession of prohibited substances. In custody, he tried to hang himself with a sheet, but survived.

During a preliminary hearing today, the court found errors in the indictment and returned the case to the prosecution. The state prosecution must correct facts surrounding the impact and ambiguities from the auto technical expertise.

The decision can be appealed within 7 days before the Court of Appeal – Plovdiv, after which a new date will be set for the start of the case.