The court is due to deliver its verdict later this month.
Prosecutors called for the suspect, identified only as Sebastian M. under Polish privacy laws, to be jailed for eight years and banned from driving for 15 years over the fatal collision on Poland's A1 motorway.
The sentencing request was made during closing arguments at the District Court in the central city of Piotrków Trybunalski on Wednesday.
The court concluded the closing arguments and postponed its verdict until October 21.
Sebastian M. denies responsibility for the crash, and the court has yet to rule on the charges.
The prosecution's request follows evidence presented in court last month by accident reconstruction experts, who said the BMW driven by the defendant was travelling at between 315 and 329 kph shortly before it struck a Kia carrying the victims.
The Kia was travelling at around 140 kph, with its cruise control switched on.
The experts said their reconstruction, based on physical evidence, vehicle data and video recordings, showed that the Kia had remained in the middle lane before the collision.
Their findings contradicted the defence's argument that the Kia had suddenly moved into the BMW’s path.
The crash happened on September 16, 2023, near the village of Sierosław on the A1 motorway heading towards the southern Polish city of Katowice.
The BMW struck the Kia, which hit roadside barriers and caught fire. All three people travelling in the Kia—a married couple and their young son—died at the scene.
During Wednesday's closing arguments, Prosecutor Aleksander Duda said the defendant's driving had posed a serious danger to other road users. He argued that the maximum prison sentence available under the charges did not reflect the gravity of the alleged offence.
The prosecutor also asked the court to rule that Sebastian M. should only become eligible for conditional release after serving three-quarters of his sentence—six years if he receives the requested eight-year term.
Duda also called for a 15-year ban on driving all motor vehicles and sought compensation for the victims’ relatives, including PLN 500,000 (EUR 114,000) for each of the deceased couple’s parents and PLN 200,000 for one of the victims’ brother.
The defence has challenged the experts’ conclusions and argued that the evidence does not support the prosecution's case.
Sebastian M. addressed the court. He offered condolences to the victims’ family and apologised for speeding, but denied causing the crash. He said the case should be decided on the evidence rather than media coverage or public expectations, and again asked to be acquitted.
The trial has been underway for a year. During the proceedings, the court heard testimony from witnesses to the crash, police officers and firefighters who attended the scene, passengers in the BMW, representatives of the company that modified the car to improve its performance, and a former employee of the defendant.
Nearly 30 volumes of files were collected in the case.
Photo: PAP/Marian Zubrzycki
Sebastian M. was brought back to Poland from the United Arab Emirates in May last year after leaving the country following the crash. He has remained in pre-trial detention.
If convicted of causing the fatal road accident, he faces up to eight years in prison.
The verdict, expected on October 21, will determine whether the court accepts the prosecution’s case and what consequences the defendant will face.
(pg/gs)
Source: polsatnews.pl