No doubt if the 34 year-old culprit had appeared in court in Monaco he would have been told off.

However, the unemployed individual wasn’t present to have his wrists slapped. The collision that he caused last October while driving up a one-way street, the wrong way, sent him to intensive care and his life hung in the balance, the court was told.

The accused was vastly over the drink-driving limit and had a joint in his lips when he hit a car coming the other way. The stolen scooter was completely destroyed in the impact.

The man’s criminal record is impressive. In Monaco he was “known” for an attempted robbery with violence, while in France his dossier has 23 dishonourable mentions, including altering cheques, driving without a licence, many burglaries, and drug trafficking.

Despite the seriousness of his latest offences, he was sentenced to six months suspended and fined 45 euros.