Former anchorman Žitný released on parole after 13 months in prison

A Trenčín District Court judge ruled on Monday, May 27 that former TV Markíza anchorman Rastislav Žitný should be immediately released on parole, the TASR newswire reported. The court also ruled that Žitný, who was sentenced to two years in prison for killing a five-year-old boy in a traffic accident in Rohožník in June, 2008, will now face a one-year probationary period.

A Trenčín District Court judge ruled on Monday, May 27 that former TV Markíza anchorman Rastislav Žitný should be immediately released on parole, the TASR newswire reported. The court also ruled that Žitný, who was sentenced to two years in prison for killing a five-year-old boy in a traffic accident in Rohožník in June, 2008, will now face a one-year probationary period.

According to the court, Žitný, now 36, has complied with requirements in order to be granted parole. The court also cited his good conduct while in prison. The district prosecutor also recommended releasing the ex-anchorman, with himself as well as Žitný's attorney, Ladislav Kuruc, forgoing the option of appealing against the decision.

The District Court in Malacky (Bratislava region) in October 2011 sentenced Žitný to 2.5 years in prison, but the Bratislava Regional Court then mitigated the sentence to two years. He began his jail term in the lowest-security prison unit in Trenčín on 18 April 2012.

Žitný was convicted of killing a five-year-old boy and causing grievous bodily harm to the boy's brother and father in a traffic fatality. At the time of the accident, he was speeding at 139 kilometres per hour while talking on his mobile phone. He lost control of his Audi and hit the boy, his father and the boy's eight-year-old brother, who were all cycling. A number of witnesses and experts were heard at the court proceedings dealing with the case, which received huge media attention in Slovakia. In his defence, Žitný explained the traffic fatality as an unintentional incident caused when he blacked out (induced by severe back pain) for a few seconds before hitting the cyclists.

(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.

Top stories

The future of safer abortion in Slovakia is still unknown.

News digest: Health minister ponders politically fraught abortion pill decision

Summer in Bratislava, the future of stores, and the general prosecutor objects to a sentencing decision.


4 h
Vrakuňa’s citizens presented apples washed in water with leaked toxins at the protest in 2016.

Chemical time bomb in Bratislava’s Vrakuňa keeps ticking

The state is failing to solve leaking chemical waste dump.


31. may
Jupiter (centre) and its Galilean moons: from left Ganymede, Io, Europa and Callisto. Juice with deployed antennas and arrays is in the bottom right.

From Košice to Ganymede: Slovak engineers are leaving their mark in space

Slovaks are active participants in two ongoing space missions.


20. may
Devin Castle

Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners

Tips for the top 10 events in the capital between June 8 and June 18, plus temporary exhibitions, classical music and highlights of the year.


20 h
SkryťClose ad