A Swiss woman who drove her car into a French police van, killing two officers, while distracted by sending a cellphone text message was sentenced on Monday to two-and-a-half years in prison by a court in France.
The judge found that Angela Shala (33) was criminally negligent in causing the June 2003 accident, in which she was speeding at 170kph while tapping away on her cellphone in a panicked effort to locate a friend’s car she had been following.
Two other police officers were injured when Shala’s car slammed into their vehicle on an Alpine motorway, causing it to crash and roll over twice.
The judge rejected a plea from the widow of one of the officers that incarceration would deprive Shala’s children of their mother.
The Swiss woman was also fined €1 500 and banned from driving for five years.
Shala had broken down in tears during the court case and vowed never to drive again. The court heard that she had a history of mental problems. — Sapa-AFP