The woman accused of driving a Ferrari at almost 190 km/h before crashing in Monaco’s Louis II tunnel has appeared before the Court of Appeal, months after the spectacular accident left her teenage daughter injured and several road users narrowly escaping serious harm…
As reported by Monaco Matin, the 38-year-old Anglo-Cypriot woman, who was released earlier this month after spending three months in custody under strict judicial supervision, is appealing her original sentence of two years’ imprisonment, including eight months to be served. Her legal team challenged both the calculation used to estimate her speed and the handling of the original proceedings, requesting an independent technical examination of the Ferrari to determine whether a mechanical fault could have contributed to the crash.
Addressing the court, the defendant said she remained unable to fully explain what happened. She told judges she experienced “something abnormal” when pressing the accelerator and insisted she had never previously sought thrills behind the wheel. Expressing remorse, she said she was ashamed to be standing before the court.
Prosecutors rejected any suggestion of mechanical failure, arguing CCTV footage showed the driver deliberately accelerating after allowing traffic ahead to clear. They maintained that her actions amounted to gross negligence and renewed calls for a custodial sentence, a lengthy driving ban in Monaco and confiscation of the Ferrari.
The defence highlighted her lack of previous convictions, the absence of alcohol or drugs, and the personal consequences she now faces, including an ongoing custody dispute involving her children. The Court of Appeal has reserved its judgment until October.
