Campaigners handed in a petition with 10,200 signatures at the Law Courts in Burgas today, calling for Nikola Burgazliev to be taken off house arrest, as a protest took place outside the building, BTA reported. They want the man charged over the ATV crash in Sunny Beach to stay in custody.

Burgas Regional Court changed his restraint order on Thursday, 29 October. Burgazliev got house arrest instead of detention after he and his lawyers filed an appeal. Prosecutors have challenged the ruling, and the Court of Appeal will decide.

Earlier report: Protest outside the Law Courts in Burgas against Burgazliev's house arrest

Yulian Zdravkov, a relative of Hristina Zdravkova, who died in the crash, and Nikolay Popov, head of the Siyanie association, took the petition to the court registry. Popov is the father of Siyana, who also died in the crash.

At the protest, Popov spoke out against "releases like Burgazliev's, because they send a signal to society that such things can happen with no consequences". He said corruption must stop first, and the risk that the defendant will go into hiding is real. He said he will keep pushing for Burgazliev to stay in custody.

People are still signing. Popov said the petition will go to the European Commission, along with other petitions against disputed court rulings. He warned that if the Court of Appeal upholds the house arrest, protesters may turn to more extreme action, including blocking roads.

Zlatka Sokolova, the mother of Hristina, said the family will not stop protesting if the court keeps the milder measure.

The protest coincided with another hearing in the case. In the courtroom, the manager and the owner of the firm that rented the ATV to the defendant were questioned again.

Burgazliev is charged with causing the death of 35-year-old Hristina Zdravkova in Sunny Beach last summer and seriously injuring three pedestrians, including her child. Prosecutors say he drove the electric vehicle after using tetrahydrocannabinol, which they describe as a high-risk drug.

Lawyer Ivo Naydenov, one of Burgazliev's defenders, said the defence will try to prove the vehicle was swapped. He said it is disputed whether the ATV was in working order, and the registration number does not necessarily mean it is the same machine.

Naydenov also said the restraint order does not decide the outcome of the case, and the court will still have to establish the defendant's guilt and degree of responsibility. "The street should not decide people's fate," he said.