“The driver who killed our son will barely have two lines on his criminal record. We have two lines on a tombstone. They include our son’s name, date of birth and date of death.
The parents of Matthieu Sardo, tragically killed in a road accident on June 10, 2021, took a huge blow to the head on Monday. Nearly 20 months following the death of their son, the driver of the vehicle in which Matthieu was, has only just been judged. And receives a sentence that Alfio and Nathalie Sardo consider too lenient. “He receives a 16-month suspended prison sentence and six months of license withdrawal, two of which are suspended, less the 15 days already effective following the accident, says Alfio, stunned by the leniency of the police court. Clearly, his license will only be withdrawn for 3.5 months for having taken the life of a person. If he goes on vacation for a few weeks, he may only be bothered for two months. It’s completely indecent.”
On the day of the incident, Matthieu, 19, Gilles de La Louvière and member of the U19 Raal team, had gone out with friends in a bar near Mons. Everything was planned: a Bob had been designated so that everyone might return safely. But when he left, Matthieu, who was worried regarding an acquaintance, got into his car, on the passenger side, without necessarily knowing that this friend had been drinking alcohol. A few kilometers further, the driver, under the influence, lost control of his car which rolled over. If he came out unscathed, Mathieu died on the spot.
Since then, Nathalie has written a book as an outlet (‘Matthieu diary of a mother in apnea’, published by Luc Pire), to put words on the drama and try to understand the incomprehensible. Alfio, he suffered from the beginning of a heart attack, still today takes antidepressants, sleeping pills and anxiolytics. Both are on sick leave.
They expected a lot from the judgment before the police court. To finally be able to mourn Matthew. But the judgment has just plunged them back into pain. “16 months suspended prison sentence is nothing, deplores Alfio Sardo. It’s a total indecency for all road victims. For more than 20 months, the driver of the car was able to live normally. And it will still be the case in the future. He will just be a little annoyed by his license withdrawal. Matthieu and we are the only victims of this accident. He will be able to continue his life almost normally. Matthieu, on the other hand, will never once more have the chance to get married, to have a job, to have children… Justice is too lax. With such judgments, all those drivers under the influence who kill on the road feel invulnerable.”
A judgment that strengthens Alfio and Nathalie in their fight to honor the memory of Matthieu but also of these victims of road drivers. To put an end to this feeling of impunity that can arise in the minds of repeat offenders. “As soon as drivers drink alcohol or take drugs, it should no longer be considered a trivial accident when they kill or seriously injure innocent people. They know full well it’s risky but they do it anyway. Therefore, the judgments must be much more severe.”
Alfio Sardo is now fighting to change the law. So that a driver, under the influence of drink or drugs, who kills someone on the road sees his license withdrawn until the trial. “So that he can no longer continue his life as if nothing had happened.”
Alfio, who has had many political contacts, also wants the legal procedure, in the event of a serious accident, to be accelerated. “So that the judgment does not happen any more 20 months following the facts. OK there is the presumption of innocence. But when you are caught red-handed, the procedure should be automatic.”
And finally that such dramas be corrected. “When you drive under the influence, you know what you’re doing. The penalties must be more severe.”
