Rangers defender Dujon Sterling has been hit with a fine of over £2,000 and handed a 12-month driving ban after admitting to drink-driving and careless driving charges.
Sterling, 26, pleaded guilty to driving at “excessive speeds” on roads including Queen Street, Hope Street and West Graham Street in Glasgow before colliding with a barrier close to the M8 on January 4 this year.
Sterling, who had featured in the team that defeated Celtic 3-1 at Parkhead on January 3, admitted a charge of careless driving when he appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Tuesday.
The footballer also admitted driving with 60 microgrammes (mcg) of alcohol in 100 millilitres (ml) of breath, above the legal limit of 22mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.
Sheriff Mary Shields fined him £750 for the careless driving offence, £1,500 for the drink driving charge and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.
Fiscal depute Christa Lindsay told the court that police attended the scene in the early hours of January 4 after a witness reported that a vehicle had crashed.
She said: “Police saw the accused outside of the vehicle on his mobile phone. He told them he had not suffered any injuries. He stated that he had lost control and veered towards the protective barrier before crashing into it.
“Police said that the accused appeared to be in a dazed condition. He was cautioned and required to provide a specimen of breath. He co-operated and failed the roadside breath test and was taken to a police station.”
She told the court that CCTV footage showed Sterling driving in an “uncontrolled manner, narrowly missing a vehicle” in the city centre in the early hours of January 4. The prosecutor said that the footage showed him driving “erratically” and at one stage having to “heavily brake” to prevent a collision.
Sheriff Mary Shields asked how long the journey lasted. Ms Lindsay said the distance covered was around 1.5 miles and that the speed limit in the area was 30mph.
She said that while there is no speedometer reading of the vehicle’s speed it was estimated to be travelling “in excess” of the speed limit. Sterling was initially charged with dangerous driving but the allegation was later reduced to one of careless driving.
Ronnie Simpson, acting for Sterling, said the footballer accepts that he should not have been behind the wheel that night.
He said: “His employer has imposed a financial penalty on him. He had been celebrating the conclusion of an important day at his place of work. He is under no illusion that he should not have been driving. He has been punished in some respect by his employer.”
