Cyclists, pedestrians, motorists, police: here, in order, is the list of potential victims that Andrei Cibotari could have caused on November 2 in Nice. This 35-year-old Czech-Moldovan ultimately did not hurt anyone, but he narrowly missed hitting a motorist head-on, while riding a scooter. This Friday, he faced the criminal court. The latter convicted him and kept him in detention.
The scene took place on November 2, shortly after midnight, in the Gambetta district. Police crew sees scooter driver “grilling” a red light and fall to the ground. They operate flashing and two-tone lights to control it. Instead of complying, the suspect hits the gas and drives off in the opposite direction. He will take all the risks.
He rides on the cycle path of Boulevard Gambetta. Get on the sidewalk. Then take Boulevard Victor-Hugo in the opposite direction. This is where he came close to having an accident. The police arrested him at the corner of rue Guiglia. They subject him to the alcohol test. Verdict: 0.82 mg of alcohol per liter of exhaled air.
drunken night
“It’s clear that I was drunk. I didn’t really understand what I was doing”agrees Andrei Cibotari, sheepish in the box. That evening he was “chez [s] we friend. We drank. We went out. We met someone, with whom we had another beer. That’s where I took the scooter.” A 125cc that we lent him, he assures, “for 5-10 minutes maximum”.
Refusal to comply, driving while drunk, driving without a license (his Czech license was not valid), concealment of theft: these are the offenses accused of this building technician. He makes amends: “I regret everything that happened. I ask for forgiveness.” President Christian Legay responds straight away: “It is to the people you put in danger that you must apologize: to the police, to the people of Nice that you meet in the street…”
One year closed
“He increased risky behavior, putting their lives in danger”the prosecutor Sonia Moreno acquiesces. “A panic reaction” linked to “fear and the effect of alcohol”explains Me Afissou Bakary, the defense lawyer. As a bonus, Andrei Cibotari committed these offenses as a legal repeat offender. Only the concealment does not hold up.
This thirty-year-old is married in Moldova, where he has two children. “He’s not planning to join his family?”wonders an assessor. “Ideally, I would like my family to join me here. If that’s not possible, it’s a disaster”sighs the defendant. The prosecution had requested 18 months in prison, 8 of which were suspended. The court gives him 12 months. With a ban on retaking your driving license for one year.
