On Saturday, a man in his 40s was driving his vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 1.24 mg per litre of exhaled breath. The multiple glasses of wine and vodkas consumed at Solenzara, Flashman and La Rascasse severely disrupted the driver’s neurons.
Around 3:40, he took the opposite traffic on the Place du Casino. The police were watching. President Florestan Bellinzona is terrified at the announcement of the figure.
“Often we roll under the table before reaching this limit”
“Realize, you had more than five times the allowed rate. How could you think for a single second being able to drive? We often drive under the table before reaching this limit. And you have already been convicted in 2012 for an identical offence… “
The defendant is a little uncomfortable. He rejects responsibility on meeting with friends.
“We drank a lot, and when I got to the Casino I did not do anything, but I’m not used to drinking … I understood my mistake.”
There is no doubt for the first substitute Cyrielle Colle: “Monsieur is a real danger, he had to drink a lot, thankfully it was late at night and few people in this place usually very busy. From the moment you start again, you are no longer available for a reprieve: one month for the offence and two fines of 150 euros for driving in the forbidden direction and crossing the continuous line.”
The defence will recall that the defendant does not dispute the facts.
“My client is in a difficult situation, says Me Stephan Pastor, who works without counting his hours, because he invests 200% in order to develop his activity of restaurateur. At this audience, treat him to make him understand the gravity of the facts without overwhelming him. Do not forget, he is still eligible for a stay because the facts are more than five years old. A stiff sentence would have negative consequences and could jeopardise his professional life …”
The court favoured the image of a person who did not measure his drink absorption. He sentenced the intemperate to a two-month suspended sentence and two fines of 150 euros. Not to mention the warning of the president: “This is your last chance, if you come back with two reprieves, we will not be so kind.”