Sliven Regional Court today jailed a young driver for 5 years over the deaths of two people his age in a crash near Kotel. It also banned him from driving for 6 years.

The verdict is not final. The deadline for an appeal or protest to the Court of Appeal in Burgas is 15 days.

The crash happened on the night of 27 August last year. Four people were in the car. The driver lost control and the car crashed off the road. A girl, 17, and a man, 20, died. Kotel municipality declared three days of mourning.

The court found that the driver broke traffic rules and that the main cause of the crash was high speed. He had no alcohol or drugs in his system.

The association "Angels of the Road" organised a protest outside the court. Relatives, loved ones and friends of the victims took part. They called for the harshest penalty the law allows, 15 years in prison.

Relatives say the driver's parents had been warned many times about his behaviour behind the wheel, including by police. They say the case was postponed several times, even though it has three expert reports. The defendant stayed free and a year after the crash was studying in Plovdiv.

"He will go in for 5 years and for him life goes on. For me this is the most inadequate decision. We will appeal," the sister of the young man who died told Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

Petya Ivanova, founder of "Angels of the Road", also told BNR: "Once again the Bulgarian court shows that the lives of Bulgarian children mean nothing at all."