A Ukrainian heiress who killed five people when she crashed into pedestrians after allegedly running a red light was seen smirking while speaking to police in court today.
Alyona Zaitseva, 20, is said to have been travelling at more than 60 mph in an area with a maximum limit of 35 mph, in central Kharkiv, Ukraine.
It has emerged that the glamorous young woman had a total of eight motoring fines, four of which were for speeding, in the two years of her being a licensed driver.
Killer smile: Alyona Zaitseva, the daughter of a multimillionaire energy tycoon, could be seen speaking to police with a smirk on her face outside court today
Zaitseva, the daughter of a multimillionaire energy tycoon, had to be protected by her armed bodyguards as she stepped out of her crashed Lexus and was met by a furious crowd of witnesses.
She has been detained for three days as a criminal investigation is underway which could see her jailed for up to ten years.
Three out of six seriously injured victims are in comas, said doctors.
Among the dead are a mother and daughter Alla Sokol, 46, and Anastasiya Sokol, 19, who will be buried tomorrow .
The other victims have been named as Elena Usmanova, 25, Nina Kobiseva, 28, and Alexander Evteev, 27.
A glamorous 20-year-old heiress has been detained after she ‘jumped a red light and rammed into a crowd killing six’, say police
Shocking images showed bodies lying on the ground after the deadly crash (pictured)
Pregnant Zhanna Vlasenko, 30, has suffered ‘serious’ head injuries and is in a ‘severe but stable’ condition. Her baby is expected to survive, said doctors.
Fears were expressed that the heiress will escape justice because of her father’s wealth and influence in Ukraine, where the court system in notoriously corrupt.
Her father, energy company multi-millionaire Vasily Zaitsev, did not mention the victims in his only comment on the crash yesterday.
He also sought to pin blame on the VW Touareg that Ms Zaitseva hit before her car careered into people waiting at a pedestrian crossing, even though video shows the Touareg driver acting correctly after moving forward on a green light at a junction.
‘It is a tragedy for our family,’ he said.
Not mentioning those killed or wounded, he said: ‘My child has not eaten for 24 hours.
‘They did not let us see her, she was locked in jail immediately.’
‘She was hit, do you understand? Her car was completely destroyed. The car was moving after the hit.
‘How was that Touareg driving – it is not clear why it hit her this way?’
The car was seen speeding towards the group of people waiting at a pedestrian crossing
The car plowed straight into the crowd killing six and injuring dozens more
The female driver was arrested by police who said she had not been drinking
There was carnage on the streets of Kharkiv, in Ukraine , after her Lexus mowed down people waiting on the pavement at a pedestrian crossing before flipping on its side
Local MP and advisor to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, Anton Gerashchenko, insisted the driver of the other car had acted correctly.
And he revealed: ‘During last two years, the Lexus driver has been caught eight times by Kharkiv traffic patrol for violating traffic rules.’
This involved speeding, jumping red lights, and violating parking rules, he said.
But the maximum she was fined for these transgressions was £14.
A shocking video of the aftermath of the crash showed bodies strewn on the pavement
Alyona Zaitseva’s armed bodyguards drove up in two jeeps immediately after the crash and protected her from a furious crowd who witnessed the crash
Three of the dead were named as Elena Berchenko, 25, Yury Neudachin, 24, Oksana Nesterenko, 36
Distressing video showed the wounded crying out for help after the deadly crash
He demanded new laws to deter dangerous driving and said that when she crashed on Wednesday night, she had been driving at more than 62 mph.
And he warned there could be pressure because of her father’s sway in Ukraine to keep her out of jail or blame the other driver who, he said, had correctly moved forward on a green light.
‘She will have to pay for it with her freedom,’ he said.
‘The Criminal Code has up to ten years of jail for such cases.’
Warning of attempts to avoid the law applying to her, he insisted: ‘We will allow no attempts to ‘solve the issue’ another way.’
Ms Zaitseva, the daughter of local energy company multi-millionaire Vasily Zaitsev (right), was uninjured
If convicted, the heiress and student Ms Zaitseva (pictured) faces up to ten years in jail
The aftermath was described as ‘like a war zone’ with dead and injured strewn across the pavement.
Anna, a flower seller who witnessed the horror, said: ‘I saw the moment of the crash, and how the car was spinning.
‘Some guys ran up to it and put in back on its wheels. My head is still aching, it was such a horror.
‘I have not seen anything like this before. The car did not drive over the people, it just smashed into them.’
Another witness Alexandra said: ‘I saw the bodies, it was so scary.
‘I walk here every day when I go back home from work.
‘One hit and five lives finished. They were just lying there. Maybe they walked back home from work like me.’