A 34-year-old Slovak national has been handed an 18-month prison sentence after a series of thefts and offences in Monaco, including breaching a decade-long ban on entering the Principality. The case was reported by Monaco-Matin, which identified the defendant as “Ratislav B.”
The offences covered several incidents over a period of days in October, involving thefts from a private boat and three retail outlets, followed by damage to a police cell after his arrest.
The first reported incident took place during the night of October 21 to 22, when a loudspeaker, bank card and Tesla keys were stolen from a privately owned boat. The man was stopped by Monaco police on October 23, but officers had not yet linked him to that theft.
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The following day, he stole a designer bag valued at almost €2,000 from Philipp Plein, two AS Monaco shirts worth around €260 from the club’s shop, and a cap, trainers and three pairs of socks from Decathlon. Staff at the sports retailer alerted police, who arrested him shortly afterwards. CCTV footage helped identify him in connection with the incidents.
The arrest also brought to light a breach of an existing exclusion order. In March 2026, the man had been sentenced to two months in prison for aggravated trespass and barred from entering Monaco for ten years.
Further offences occurred while he was in custody. According to Monaco-Matin, he broke the window of his cell and refused to provide fingerprints and photographs. He reportedly cited traumatic experiences during his former service in the French Foreign Legion when explaining his reluctance to submit fingerprints.
During the court proceedings on Monday, October 26, the defendant admitted the offences but later exercised his right to remain silent after expressing dissatisfaction with the interpretation provided in Slovak. He apologised to the owner of the boat, who sought one euro in symbolic damages.
The prosecution sought two years in prison, arguing that the defendant was responsible for his actions and that a substantial sentence was warranted. His lawyer pointed to his admissions and expressions of remorse, while contesting the charge relating to his refusal to comply with identity checks.
The Criminal Court ultimately imposed an 18-month custodial sentence and awarded the boat owner one euro in symbolic compensation. The defendant was returned to Monaco’s prison to serve his sentence.
