Three-time world champion Peter Sagan has been handed a three-month suspended prison sentence, and banned from driving for the same period, after he was caught drink driving through the streets of Monaco last month.

The 33-year-old, who will hope to add to his twelve stage wins as he starts what will be his last ever Tour de France on Saturday, was observed by police in the principality recklessly driving a scooter at around 11.35am on Friday 12 May, just four days before the Slovakian made his return to racing at the Four Days of Dunkirk, following his race-ending crash at the previous month’s Paris-Roubaix.

“It was 11:35 a.m. when the police noticed the risky, even dangerous behaviour of a driver behind the handlebars of his motorised vehicle,” the magistrate in Monaco said, according to local publication Monaco-Matin (link is external).

“The driver was trying to park in a space reserved for two-wheelers.. The officers approached and very quickly noticed the signs of the scooter driver’s drunkenness.”

The “vague suspicions” of the officers were confirmed by the seven-time Tour de France green jersey winner’s breathalyser test, prompting them to take Sagan to a police station for a more precise test, which confirmed his blood alcohol levels to be 1.46 mg/l, almost six times Monaco’s maximum permitted intoxication level of 0.25mg/l.

Sagan is reported to have told the police that he had spent the previous night drinking in Monaco’s clubs, and had gone to bed at 3am. He said he had “an appointment” the next morning to bring a friend to a hotel.

Due to the high levels of intoxication coming up to lunchtime, the judge asked if Sagan had “went to bed or had fallen into a coma because of the impressive amount of alcohol he had taken.”

The TotalEnergies rider was absent from the court hearing, but his legal counsel argued that jetlag from a recent flight from the United States had affected Sagan.

“With a state of fatigue mainly linked to jet lag and six hours of sleep, he did not think he had such a rate [of alcohol in his system],” Sagan’s lawyer told the court. “In addition to the obligation to travel with his vehicle as part of his sports career, a fine would be more appropriate.”

However, the prosecutor argued that a fine would have little impact considering Sagan’s substantial income. The former Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix winner was thus handed a three-month suspended prison sentence, as well as being banned from driving for three months.

Last month’s reckless behaviour isn’t the first time that Sagan has found himself on the wrong side of the law thanks to drink driving..

In November 2021, the Slovakian star was fined €5,000 for infringing Monaco’s Covid-19 curfew and injuring a police officer who attempted to take him to hospital to undergo a drug test.

Sagan, who was drunk at the time of his arrest, was travelling on his scooter with younger brother and fellow pro Juraj, with his lawyers later claiming that he began to struggle with the officers because he feared he was going to be “forced to be vaccinated”. The 33-year-old later apologised for his actions, which he claimed were due to his excessive alcohol consumption that night, something he said he was not used to.

On 28/06/2023 07:08 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Three-time world champion Peter Sagan has been handed a three-month suspended prison sentence, and banned from driving for the same period, after he was caught drink driving through the streets of Monaco last month.

Three months for being "over the limit".

Many continental jurisdictions have a similar range of penalties for
drink-driving, depending upon the severeity of the offence. Some don't
have automatic bans. They are much more grown up about these things that
the UK sometimes proves itself to be.

> The 33-year-old, who will hope to add to his twelve stage wins as he starts what will be his last ever Tour de France on Saturday, was observed by police in the principality recklessly driving a scooter at around 11.35am on Friday 12 May, just four days before the Slovakian made his return to racing at the Four Days of Dunkirk, following his race-ending crash at the previous month’s Paris-Roubaix.
> “It was 11:35 a.m. when the police noticed the risky, even dangerous behaviour of a driver behind the handlebars of his motorised vehicle,” the magistrate in Monaco said, according to local publication Monaco-Matin (link is external).
> “The driver was trying to park in a space reserved for two-wheelers. The officers approached and very quickly noticed the signs of the scooter driver’s drunkenness.”
> The “vague suspicions” of the officers were confirmed by the seven-time Tour de France green jersey winner’s breathalyser test, prompting them to take Sagan to a police station for a more precise test, which confirmed his blood alcohol levels to be 1.46 mg/l, almost six times Monaco’s maximum permitted intoxication level of 0.25mg/l.
> Sagan is reported to have told the police that he had spent the previous night drinking in Monaco’s clubs, and had gone to bed at 3am. He said he had “an appointment” the next morning to bring a friend to a hotel.
> Due to the high levels of intoxication coming up to lunchtime, the judge asked if Sagan had “went to bed or had fallen into a coma because of the impressive amount of alcohol he had taken.”
> The TotalEnergies rider was absent from the court hearing, but his legal counsel argued that jetlag from a recent flight from the United States had affected Sagan.
> “With a state of fatigue mainly linked to jet lag and six hours of sleep, he did not think he had such a rate [of alcohol in his system],” Sagan’s lawyer told the court. “In addition to the obligation to travel with his vehicle as part of his sports career, a fine would be more appropriate.”
> However, the prosecutor argued that a fine would have little impact considering Sagan’s substantial income. The former Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix winner was thus handed a three-month suspended prison sentence, as well as being banned from driving for three months.
> Last month’s reckless behaviour isn’t the first time that Sagan has found himself on the wrong side of the law thanks to drink driving.
> In November 2021, the Slovakian star was fined €5,000 for infringing Monaco’s Covid-19 curfew and injuring a police officer who attempted to take him to hospital to undergo a drug test.
> Sagan, who was drunk at the time of his arrest, was travelling on his scooter with younger brother and fellow pro Juraj, with his lawyers later claiming that he began to struggle with the officers because he feared he was going to be “forced to be vaccinated”. The 33-year-old later apologised for his actions, which he claimed were due to his excessive alcohol consumption that night, something he said he was not used to.

>
> However, the prosecutor argued that a fine would have little impact considering Sagan’s substantial income. The former Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix winner was thus handed a three-month suspended prison sentence, as well as being banned from driving for three months.

Got away with that one - in the UK you would get a ban of a year at the very least.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

>> However, the prosecutor argued that a fine would have little impact
>> considering Sagan’s substantial income. The former Tour of Flanders and
>> Paris-Roubaix winner was thus handed a three-month suspended prison
>> sentence, as well as being banned from driving for three months.

> Got away with that one - in the UK you would get a ban of a year at the very least.

And which country’s sanction has the greatest benefit on offender behaviour
and for wider society?

--
Spike

On Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 6:54:06 AM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> >
> > However, the prosecutor argued that a fine would have little impact considering Sagan’s substantial income. The former Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix winner was thus handed a three-month suspended prison sentence, as well as being banned from driving for three months.
> Got away with that one - in the UK you would get a ban of a year at the very least.

Another missed opportunity for Mr Arsehole - he gets drunk drives off with NO charge at all.

Spike <Aero.Spike@mail.invalid> wrote:
> swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> However, the prosecutor argued that a fine would have little impact
>>> considering Sagan’s substantial income. The former Tour of Flanders and
>>> Paris-Roubaix winner was thus handed a three-month suspended prison
>>> sentence, as well as being banned from driving for three months.
>
>> Got away with that one - in the UK you would get a ban of a year at the very least.
>
> And which country’s sanction has the greatest benefit on offender behaviour
> and for wider society?

Does Monaco have a ‘Mr Arsehole’, one wonders?

--
Spike

Coronation Street star Barbara Knox was banned from the road after turning up at a police station ‘intoxicated’ to see her daughter who had also been arrested for drink driving.

The 84-year-old, who plays much-loved Rita Tanner in the soap, had seen her daughter Maxine Ashcroft taken into custody after the pair were pulled over in Knutsford on March 10, 2014.

And Knox was ‘emotional’ and ‘slurring her words’ as she arrived at Knutsford Police Station later that evening, a court heard.

She was carrying a set of car keys and suspecting she had driven there, police warned her not to drive again as she may be arrested.

They even offered the actress, who has been in ITV show for more than four decades, a lift home, Jonathan Egan prosecuting said, however she declined.

Officers then followed her to the car park and saw her get into a Jaguar and begin reversing out of a bay, the court was told.

Officers found she had 85mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, narrowly over the limit of 80.

She was banned from the road for a year and fined £3,000.

Mr Freeman told the court: “Drink driving is a serious offence and she in no way seeks to justify or condone her terrible error of judgement.

“In many ways she was the author of her own misfortune.

“This was an unnecessary offence."

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Coronation Street star Barbara Knox was banned from the road after
> turning up at a police station ‘intoxicated’ to see her daughter who had
> also been arrested for drink driving.
>
> The 84-year-old, who plays much-loved Rita Tanner in the soap, had seen
> her daughter Maxine Ashcroft taken into custody after the pair were
> pulled over in Knutsford on March 10, 2014.
>
> And Knox was ‘emotional’ and ‘slurring her words’ as she arrived at
> Knutsford Police Station later that evening, a court heard.
>
> She was carrying a set of car keys and suspecting she had driven there,
> police warned her not to drive again as she may be arrested.
>
> They even offered the actress, who has been in ITV show for more than
> four decades, a lift home, Jonathan Egan prosecuting said, however she declined.
>
> Officers then followed her to the car park and saw her get into a Jaguar
> and begin reversing out of a bay, the court was told.
>
> Officers found she had 85mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, narrowly over the limit of 80.
>
> She was banned from the road for a year and fined £3,000.
>
> Mr Freeman told the court: “Drink driving is a serious offence and she in
> no way seeks to justify or condone her terrible error of judgement.
>
> “In many ways she was the author of her own misfortune.
>
> “This was an unnecessary offence."

Stop de moord op voetgangers!

--
Spike

QUOTE: Mr Freeman told the court: “Drink driving is a serious offence and she in no way seeks to justify or condone her terrible error of judgement. ENDS

My next paying client was 5 times the limit, but the summons was delayed in the post past its "sell by date", so he got off scot free.

Kerching!