A footballer was fined more than £2,000 on Tuesday for drink driving after celebrating his side's victory in an Old Firm game. Dujon Sterling was in the Rangers side which beat Celtic 3-1 at Parkhead on January 3. The English defender then got behind the wheel of his grey Mercedes AMG GLE 63 in the early hours of the following day.
The 26-year-old was seen driving erratically through Glasgow city centre before crashing into a barrier near the M8 motorway. Sterling, of the city's Dowanhill, was almost three times the limit and was temporarily banned from driving. He was also fined by Rangers.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court, he pled guilty to careless driving, having initially been charged with dangerous driving. He also admitted a separate charge of drink driving. The court heard a witness saw Sterling's car collide with a barrier and contacted the police.
Prosecutor Christa Lindsay said: 'Officers saw Sterling outside the vehicle, on his phone, and approached him. He said he didn't suffer any injuries. He said he lost control (of the car), it veered towards the barrier and crashed into it.' Officers believed Sterling was in a 'dazed condition' and he was taken to a police station.
A breath test was carried out and it was found he had 60 microgrammes of alcohol within 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 22 microgrammes. He was arrested and held in custody until fit enough to leave.
CCTV inquiries showed Sterling driving around the city's Royal Exchange Square and Queen Street at 1.13am and 'narrowly' missing a vehicle turning in a lane. He was seen driving in an 'uncontrolled' and 'erratic' way, changing lanes without indicating and driving on the wrong side of the road at a 'significant speed' before the 1.30am crash.
Ms Lindsay said Sterling contacted police and told them he was in a crash. Defence solicitor Ronnie Simpson told the court: 'He (Sterling) is under no illusion he should not have been driving. He is a first offender and is very remorseful for his actions. He is not someone who will be before the court again.'
Sterling was initially banned from driving between January and April but was allowed back on the road following a hearing last month. But Mr Simpson said Sterling hasn't driven since the collision. Sheriff Mary Shields fined Sterling £2,250 and banned him for 12 months. The sheriff also offered him an opportunity to do a drink driving rehabilitation course which will reduce his ban when completed.
