The driver who killed one teen cyclist and injured another one near a Chisinau suburb in February will serve 6 years in an open prison, the Chisinau/Buiucani Court ruled today.

In a partial admission of the plaintiffs’ claims, the court ordered the sentenced driver to pay the victims’ families 1.5 million lei in non-pecuniary damage. The sentence may be appealed.

Prosecutors recalled that the man had had his license suspended for a previous traffic violation when he committed the crime. The court also heard that the man engaged in an “imprudent” maneuver when he struck the two up-and-coming youngsters, who were in a training session by the side of the road. As a result of the impact, one cyclist got moderate injuries, and the other one was severely hurt and died in hospital three days later .