Jesse Lingard has apologised for ‘putting the lives of others at risk’ after he admitted drink-driving in his £200,000 Lamborghini.
The former Manchester United and England star, 30, was today fined a week’s wages – £57,000 – for being more than twice over the legal limit.
Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Lingard was driving in Sale, Greater Manchester, on July 8, this year, when he was stopped by a police.
Tara Riley, prosecuting, said that an officer who was following his Lamborghini Uris became aware it was being driven at speed.
READ ALSO Jakub Kiwior”s Twerking queen hails move, Arsenal fans
The officer’s ‘initial belief’, she said, was Lingard’s vehicle was racing another high-performance car.
‘He doesn’t believe 100 per cent they were racing but they were driving at speed,’ she said.
She said the officer spoke to Lingard at the roadside and believed he was under the influence of alcohol due to his behaviour.
A breath test revealed 76 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath the legal limit is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath.
Frank Rogers, representing Lingard, described the player’s actions as ‘out of character’.
Mr Rogers said Lingard, who pleaded guilty to a charged of drink-driving, had initially been out for a meal with friends and only drunk soft drinks.
He’d intended going home but had then received a call from a ‘fellow professional footballer’ and driven to Manchester to have a ‘few drinks’ with him.
Mr Rogers said Lingard had ‘mistakenly’ believed he had left sufficient time to drive home, describing it as ‘spontaneous decision’.
READ ALSO EPL: West Ham boss Moyes keeps door open for Lingard return
A personal assistant, who would normally drive Lingard in such circumstances, wasn’t working, he said.
Mr Rogers denied Lingard had been ‘racing’ and said the two ‘high-performance cars’ were sitting at lights at the time
He said Lingard had shown remorse for his actions and it was ‘apparent how heavily this weighs on him’
District judge Joanne Hirst handes lingard fine of £59,000 and banned him from driving for 18-months, to run concurrently with an existing six-month ban.