A 49-year-old Marseillais received a three-month prison sentence in Monaco for “breach of trust” after failing to return a scooter he took on a test ride in June 2023…
The man, a chef in a retirement home, borrowed a Yamaha TMAX from a dealership in La Condamine, promising to return it within fifteen minutes. Instead, he drove to Nice, later claiming he had lost track of time and intended to return the scooter the following Monday.
When questioned, he explained he had left the scooter with two young footballers he was training to refuel, only for it to later be seized by police and eventually returned to the dealership.
Originally sentenced in February 2024 to three months in prison, he claimed to be unaware of the conviction and was surprised to be arrested at a restaurant in Larvotto at the end of October.
The deputy prosecutor characterized the incident as “gross,” requesting a two-month prison sentence and the enforcement of an arrest warrant. Despite claims of hardship during 2020 to 2023, which included job loss and financial difficulties, the court remained unconvinced. The defendant’s lawyer emphasized that prior to 2020, his client had a clean record, with positive testimonials from a cousin and a retirement home director. However, the judge upheld the original three-month sentence.
Ironically, the man will now serve time at the Monaco remand centre, where he once worked as a cook between 2015 and 2020.
