Swansea City captain Ben Cabango has been disqualified from driving for six months after a cyclist with a helmet camera filmed him using his phone while at the wheel. The 26-year-old Wales international defender pleaded guilty to the offence, which was reported to police by a Swansea University academic with an interest in road safety.
Incident on Mumbles Road
The footage shows Cabango driving a black BMW X6 on the A4067 Mumbles Road in Swansea. He was waiting at a red traffic light near the junction with Brynmill Terrace when the cyclist arrived to his right. South Wales Police staff member Joseph Smit noted in his report that the BMW's brake lights indicated Cabango had his foot on the brake to hold the vehicle in place.
The helmet camera footage showed Cabango looking at his phone while waiting for the light to change. In a witness statement, the cyclist said it was clear Cabango was watching a video, although rainy conditions made it difficult to see the content. Cabango appeared surprised when he realised the cyclist was looking at him, and the footage shows him speaking to the cyclist and giving a thumbs-up before driving off when the lights changed.
Court proceedings and sentence
Cabango, who lives in the Vale of Glamorgan village of Penmark, pleaded guilty to using a phone while driving. He did not appear in court but expressed remorse through the single justice procedure. He asked magistrates to spare him a driving ban, arguing it would "require my family relocation for my work", but the court added six points to his licence, which already had six points, resulting in a six-month disqualification.
The magistrates also ordered Cabango to pay a £640 fine, a £256 victim services surcharge, and £120 in prosecution costs. In a statement, Cabango said: "I appreciate that using a phone while driving creates unnecessary risk, and I deeply regret my poor judgement on this occasion. This experience has been a significant wake-up call for me and I can assure the court that I have reflected seriously on my actions and taken steps to ensure this will never happen again."
Impact and reaction
The cyclist who filmed the offence asked not to be named but said: "I'd like to suggest that public figures play an important role in shaping the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. Unfortunately, incidents like this can reinforce the perception that dangerous driving behaviour is normal and acceptable." He added: "In car-dependent societies like ours, people easily overlook the harms of motoring in a bias known as motonormativity. So it is crucial to provide safe and reliable walking and cycling infrastructure to protect pedestrians and cyclists from careless drivers."
Cabango has played 279 times for Swansea City and has 16 caps for Wales.
