Following an appeal by the prosecution, the Debrecen Regional Court acting as the court of second instance overturned the lower court’s decision and ordered the suspect to be placed under criminal supervision until September 13, 2025. The man, allegedly a doctor, fled from police while intoxicated on Easter Monday in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County. The Debrecen Regional Investigative Prosecutor’s Office suspects him of assaulting a public official and other crimes.
He has been placed under house arrest-type supervision restricted to his residence, with random checks by the police several times a week.
According to the well-founded suspicion, on the evening of April 21, 2025, the man was driving his SUV without a valid driver’s license in a village in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County when a police officer signaled him to stop. The suspect noticed the signal but ignored it, steering left to avoid the officer and sped away.
Despite the police van pursuing him with flashing lights and sirens, the man did not stop. After a few kilometers, he caused an accident resulting in injury and veered off the road.
The police stopped directly beside the right side of the SUV. When the suspect saw an officer opening the driver’s door of the van to exit, he hit the gas and drove forward. The officer narrowly avoided serious injury by jumping back into the van just in time. The suspect then pushed the police vehicle forward for several meters before stopping.
The lower court originally ruled that there was no risk of flight or hiding and that the suspect’s presence at trial could be ensured without custody. It also saw no reasonable threat of repeat offenses.
However, the Debrecen Regional Court disagreed. It emphasized that the suspect tried to escape lawful police action and had to be pursued for kilometers before being apprehended—evidence, in their view, of a flight risk.
The court also noted that the suspect had previously been banned from driving six times and had already been convicted for drunk driving. Since 2014, he has had no valid driver’s license, yet owns several high-value vehicles, reinforcing the risk of repeated offenses.
Compared to the first-instance court, the second-instance judges held that the suspect’s socially respected profession as a doctor carries less weight in deciding the necessity of pre-trial restrictions—under the law, everyone is equal.
The court’s decision is final.
(Debreceni Nap)
