Grand Cru or “Plonk”: Abuse of Alcohol Keeps The Courts More Than Busy

Toppling off a Scooter in a Drunken State in the Wee Hours of the Morning

Just past two in the morning a man in his 50s drank a full bottle of red wine at home and then craved a cigarette. He was, to say the least, a habitual drinker. Mounting his scooter he rode to the one place he knew he could get cigarettes but being drunk toppled off his scooter. The police were quick to notice and breathalyzed him to confirm his drunken state. Fortunately he was not hurt from the fall. In court he showed signs of not being in full control of his faculties being partly unresponsive, almost autistic at times. When he did respond it was to deny being drunk, blind to the fact that the evidence was clearly to the contrary. The Court was worried about his health, his state of alcoholism and his mental faculties. The solution came in the sentencing: a 45 euro fine plus a 15 day suspended sentence with liberty conditional on enrolling in a program of care for 18 months.

A Jolly Young Lady But Repeat Offender, Driving Under the Influence

A young lady in her early thirties decided to spice up her boring life. Unemployed and emerging from the Job Centre she started first in Fontvieille with a glass of rosé. Needing more stimulation she headed for Port Hercule to party the night away. And by about 1am feeling sated she headed for her car on the Port only to arrive at a police check point as she drove off. Twice the legal limit of alcohol landed her in Court. She conducted herself well before the judge remorseful for her foolishness. Counting against her on sentencing was a previous conviction three years prior for the same offense. The Prosecution called for a 15 day suspended sentence with a 500 euro fine which was reduced to ten days by the Court.

No Grand Cru for a Robber who is Foiled by Tight Security

A Monaco supermarket had been a regular victim of thefts of fine wine and had tightened its controls. Enter a young man in his twenties and the manager of the store, based on instinct, decided there was something suspicious about him. Right he was! as the young man, while pretending to shop for food, loaded up with 7 premium bottles of alcohol worth just short of 400 euros. He hid them in his baggy clothes, paid for the food at the cash – and then “did a runner”.

The manager called the police but the young man craftily evaded them at the Condamine. They managed to arrest him later in the station tunnel where he was trying to hide. Was he stealing for a gang? Unemployed, was he an alcoholic stealing to feed his addiction or to resell? Desperate or a determined crook? There were no prior offenses but as he was a “no show” before the Judge it was impossible for the Court to get to the bottom of his motivation. The Prosecution asked for a 3 month suspended sentence which the Court reduced to two months. The supermarket’s tighter security worked well. The bottles of alcohol were retrieved intact.