“I only drove 200 meters!” ”, but with a blood alcohol level of 1.74 g and without a license

“Drunk, you are at fault, no driving license, you are at fault. You had a ban and the police saw you driving, you are at fault.” The president of the criminal court of Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique) does not let herself be fooled when the 40-year-old defendant, in an irregular situation, tells her that he “only drove 200 meters” on January 10, 2025 in Montoir- from Brittany. The president insists: “200 meters or 300 kilometers, the offense is the same! »

“I only drink every two months…”

It was Monday, January 13, during his immediate appearance. This Georgian national, under an OQTF (obligation to leave French territory), arrived in France to treat his son, himself suffering from health problems.

But since 2019, his criminal record has been punctuated by four convictions, including three for driving without a license.

When the gendarmes arrested him near his car with a blood alcohol level of 1.74 g, he contested. And at the hearing on Monday January 13, his interpreter translated:

“I wasn’t driving, I can’t be prosecuted for drunk driving!” »

On the stand, he first declared: “I have nothing to say”, then: “I only drink every two months…”. “For what ? », asks the president. No response from the defendant who, on the other hand, declares that he only made one maneuver, “it was my cousin who was driving”. And finally: “I’m sorry, I’ll stop driving.”

The prosecutor takes advantage of this case to generalize: “We find ourselves before a habitual delinquent, who mocks court decisions.” Indeed, his last conviction dates from October 24, 2024, including a ban on driving a motor vehicle for four months… i.e. February 24.

The magistrate scolds: “The road is not to be taken lightly, it is far from trivial”.

Sentence under electronic bracelet

The public prosecutor is demanding six months in prison, the revocation of his three-month suspended sentence, a driving ban for one year and the confiscation of the Peugeot 308.

His lawyer, M^e Alicia Pla describes the difficult situation of this working man, who was refused an asylum request due to his situation, but who recognizes his responsibility at the hearing.

The court pronounces a three-month sentence, revokes the suspended sentence, prohibits the forty-year-old from driving for a year. The sentence will be carried out under an electronic bracelet. As for the vehicle, it remains confiscated.

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