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A Belgian driver was convicted of murdering seven people on Friday by ploughing his car into a carnival procession while filming himself at the wheel.
Paolo Falzone, 38, is due to be sentenced next week over the fatal March 2022 crash in the southern town of La Louvière. He faces up to 30 years in jail.
Prosecutors said the tragedy happened when Falzone, who had previous speeding and drink driving offences, raced his BMW at 170 kilometres per hour through a 50-kilometre zone on the town’s outskirts.
They said he was driving home from a nightclub before dawn on a Sunday and was unaware that revellers dressed for a traditional carnival parade were gathered in the street.
The investigation determined that Falzone was filming a social media post and not looking at the road at the time of the crash.
Six people died instantly and emergency workers treated around 40 wounded scattered across several hundred metres. Another victim died later.
During his trial, Falzone said he regretted his actions and had no intention to cause harm.
“I fully admit that I used to film myself driving at crazy speeds. I did it a lot,” he said. “I behaved like a complete idiot.”
In a rare move for a road incident, an appeals court ordered the trial to take place in front of a jury, in part due to the level of public outrage.
The trial was heard in a special hall to accommodate nearly 200 civil parties taking part. The civil claimants include some who are disabled for life and the relatives of those who died.
A passenger who was in the car at the time of the crash was also found guilty of failing to help people in danger, for which he faces up to two years in jail.
Additional sources • AFP