MOSCOW, October 8 - RAPSI. The Noginsk City Court in the Moscow Region sentenced Yekaterina Zaul to eight years in prison on Monday for killing five people while driving under the influence, the court told RAPSI.

The court has also suspended her driver's license for three years, and satisfied the aggrieved parties' claims for 3.5 million rubles ($113,000) in damages. Her attorneys have stated their intent to contest the sentence.

According to traffic police, Zaul ignored a "No Passing" sign on July 21 while driving her Land Rover. She lost control of the vehicle and hit five people on the curb. A seven-year-old child was among the victims.

Zaul has pleaded guilty to all the charges and faced up to nine years behind bars.

Earlier, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev spoke in support of instituting criminal liability for recurrent drunk driving for individuals who were earlier deprived of their license for the same offense.

At a meeting with his deputies, he said liability must increase amid the recent horrific car accidents in the country that have occurred as a result of drunk driving.