Four in court over car death of cousins in Oldham

The girls died after they were hit by a car on New Year's Eve.

Published 4th Jan 2017

Four men have appeared in court after being charged in connection with the deaths of two youn girls who were hit by a car on New Year's Eve in Oldham.

Cousins Zaneta Krokova, 11, and Helina Kotlarova, 12, were holding hands when the crash happened in Ashton Road, Oldham, at about 7.15pm.

Gabor Hegedus, 38, of Oldham, was charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, driving without a licence, failing to stop after a collision and failing to report the collision.

David Orsos,18, Janos Kalanyos, 50, and Zoltan Peto, 49, also of Oldham, were charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The men appeared at Tameside Magistrates' Court on Wednesday afternoon.

All four defendants were remanded in custody to appear at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester on February 1, a court spokesman said.

The girls had just come out of a shop near their homes when the crash happened.

Helina was pronounced dead at the scene and Zaneta died in hospital on Monday.

The older girl's mother, Sylva, and father, Robert, raced to the crash scene but she was declared dead by medics as her distraught mother stroked her hair.

On New Year's Day, the family of seven sisters and one brother, who came to England from the Czech Republic eight years ago, sat in tears, mourning the 12-year-old.

Helina's sister, also called Sylva, said: We ran there. I went to her. Her face was all bloody. She did not breathe. Then the ambulance came.''

PL