MOSCOW, October 22 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court on Thursday reduced jail sentence of actor Mikhail Efremov in a fatal car crash case by 6 months, from 8 to 7.5 years, a RAPSI correspondent reported from the courtroom. 

Efremov pled guilty in full during the appeals hearing. Earlier, he paid 3 million rubles (about $40,000) in compensation to three relatives of late victim Sergey Zakharov: his widow, son and brother. The court took into account this circumstance.

The sentence comes into force today. The convict has a right to challenge it in a cassation instance.

On September 8, he received 8 years in penal colony for and was banned Efremov from driving for three years. The court returned him his broken Jeep. The court found that victim Sergey Zakharov was killed in the accident due to the defendant's driving behaviour.

When delivering sentence Judge Elena Abramova said Efremov needed no compulsory psychiatric care. The defendant accepted the danger of his actions and did not suffer serious mental diseases, the judge stated. However, the court considered his guilty plea during the pretrial investigation and his three minor children as mitigating circumstances.

On September 3, a prosecutor demanded an 11-year imprisonment for Efremov and driving ban for 3 years. That day, the court heard the parties’ arguments. Before the beginning Efremov made a plea of guilty. Earlier, he refused to admit his guilt and said he remembered nothing.

On the evening of June 8, Efremov driving his car crossed into the oncoming lane in central Moscow and collided with a delivery service vehicle. He was arrested on the scene. Alcohol and drugs were reportedly found in his blood. Victim Sergey Zakharov was taken to hospital where he died early in the morning of June 9.