A repeat offender appeared before the court on charges of drunk driving, just a year after his last offence. The 52-year-old driver, who partied from the evening of Thursday, July 18 until dawn, picked up customers for a tourist trip with little sleep and a high blood alcohol level.
The driver was controlled in Monaco after his passengers, alarmed by his erratic behaviour, alerted the police present at the Württemberg roundabout.
Court president, Jérôme Fougeras Lavergnolle, highlighted the danger posed by the driver’s impaired state, noting his blood alcohol level was still 1.37 mg/l at 15:30 the next day. The driver, who claimed to use alcohol to cope with loneliness and a recent separation, insisted he wasn’t an alcoholic and usually refrains from drinking while working.
Prosecutor Valérie Sagné emphasised the severity of the driver’s condition and the risk he posed, and subsequently requested a four-month sentence, with two months suspended, mandatory treatment, a two-year probation period, and a one-year driving ban in Monaco.
The defence argued for leniency, citing the driver’s personal struggles and the potential impact of incarceration on his life and animals. However, the court upheld the prosecution’s demands, extending the driving ban in Monaco by two additional years.