A young driver made an unexpected journey in a Renault Clio that he had only rented for four days.
A man decided to rent a Renault Clio. But he ultimately kept the vehicle for two months to travel more than 7,000 kilometers. This unforeseen odyssey will now cause him significant legal trouble.
A long adventure in Renault Clio
According to Progressit all started in 2021. Only 18 ans when he had just obtained his driving license, the defendant rented a Renault Clio via a peer-to-peer rental platform. The price was quite attractive at 35 euros per day rental. The young driver’s objective was to avoid public transport, which he could no longer tolerate. But even though he was supposed to rent the Clio for just four days, he did not return the vehicle. The owner still had no news of him.
The owner was clearly not reassured by this worrying situation. Quickly, she noticed theintensive use of his car. She started receiving parking tickets andspeeding in his mailbox. Instead of staying in the region, the Clio traveled thousands of kilometers. The vehicle’s odometer revealed this when it was returned.
© Wikimedia Commons The young driver drove more than 7,000 kilometers with a car that he was only supposed to keep for four days.
Arrested by law enforcement two months laterthe driver explained that he had mainly driven until La Grande-Mottea seaside resort in the south of France. In court, the inconsistencies in the defendant’s explanations follow one another and the judge even jokes about the situation:
“I didn’t know that La Grande-Motte was located in the depths of Spain”
A rental that goes wrong
In addition to the clearly abusive use of the Clio, the vehicle returned to its owner in very poor condition. At the end of 7,136 kilometersa mechanical wear was noted and there was also some damage to the bodywork. In addition, this represents a significant financial loss for the owner after more than two months without her vehicle. She could have continued to rent her car if she had not been selected. From now on, the young man is being prosecuted for vehicle concealment.
He thus receives a sentence of 24 months suspended prison sentence and substantial fines. He will have to pay 2,000 euros for the repairs and the loss of income linked to the unavailability of the vehicle, plus 1,000 euros for the moral damage suffered by the owner. With an unexpected total of 3,000 euros in fines and a heavily tarnished criminal record, this impromptu journey turned into a high-priced adventure.
Source: www.autoplus.fr
