Warner sentenced for drunk driving

Sports Desk

A Sydney court has found former Australian opener David Warner guilty of drink-driving and fined him 1,500 Australian dollars (about 1,065 US dollars). The 39-year-old cricketer was arrested by police in April.

The one-time Australian batsman has pleaded guilty in court to driving home from a family event in Sydney’s eastern suburbs over the Easter Sunday weekend, failing a breathalyzer test. His blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

Waverley Local Court was told that Warner stopped his car after seeing a roadside alcohol test point and tried to swap seats with a female passenger sitting next to him.

According to information published in the Australian media, Judge Claire Farnon told the court, “I accept that the likelihood of Warner committing a similar offence again is low. But sadly, drink driving is one of the main causes of many road accidents in New South Wales.” The judge commented that the seriousness of the offence was increased by the presence of children in the car.

Warner, who played 112 Tests and more than 250 limited-overs matches for Australia, will now have to install an alcohol ‘interlock’ device in his car, which prevents the car from starting if it detects the presence of alcohol on the driver’s breath.

Warner left the courtroom without addressing reporters after the verdict. His agency was not immediately available for comment when contacted.

Before the verdict, Warner’s lawyer Awais Ahmed told the court that his client had already been subjected to additional punishment due to exaggerated media reports, which were directly affecting his commercial opportunities, and therefore appealed to the judge to spare him from the sentence.

Warner currently works as a commentator for Fox Sports Australia, where he was part of the broadcaster’s team for the recent Australia-Bangladesh Test series in Darwin. He also captains Big Bash League team Sydney Thunder. The company is associated with the New South Wales state government’s anti-drink driving awareness campaign.

Cricket New South Wales (NSW) had no immediate comment on Warner’s future as Sydney Thunder captain. In a statement, they said: “Our organisation is committed to promoting safe driving and the prevention of drink driving. We take this incident very seriously and are continuing to educate all players about safe driving.”