David Warner Pleads Guilty to Drink-Driving, Admits It Was A ‘Foolish’ Decision Ahead of Sydney Sentencing

A former Australian cricketer, David Warner has pleaded guilty to a drink and driving offence after he was caught by Sydney police earlier this year with more than twice the amount of blood-alcohol limit legally permissible. The lawyer who represented the former opening batter, Bobby Hill, appeared at the Waverley Local Court on Wednesday and entered a guilty plea on his behalf to one count of middle-range drink driving.

The 39-year-old ex-Australian cricketer was allegedly driving in a van in eastern suburban areas of Sydney on Easter Sunday when he stopped briefly before reaching a random roadside breath-testing site. The officers approached the vehicle and conducted a breath test, which came out to be positive.

Warner was subsequently arrested and taken to the Maroubra Police Station where he was asked to undergo a secondary blood analysis and the results showed a reading of 0.104. The general permissible alcohol limit for a licensed driver in New South Wales is 0.05.

Warner had reportedly consumed three glasses of wine at a friend’s house before deciding to drive. His lawyer previously said that Warner had finished drinking his last glass only about 11 minutes before being stopped by the police.

Warner: I accept the reckless decision

During an earlier court hearing, Hill mentioned to the court that Warner would accept the responsibility for his actions and understood the seriousness of choosing to drive after consuming alcohol. He said, “I can indicate that David will be accepting responsibility for drink-driving. He knows what he did was wrong. He knows it was a reckless decision. So many of us make those poor decisions. I think what’s important is accepting and being accountable for those poor decisions.”

He further added, the dangers associated with drinking and driving applied equally to everyone, irrespective of their profession, reputation or public profile.

David Warner is one of Australia’s most recognisable cricketers. He represented Australia in 112 tests, 161 ODIs and 110 T20Is before hanging his boots from international cricket. He remains active in franchise cricket and is the skipper of the Sydney Thunders in the domestic T20 competition, the Big Bash League (BBL).

His decision to plead guilty of the charges levied on him may also prompt Sydney Thunders and New South Wales to review his leadership before the next BBL season. Any sporting consequences are likely to be considered after the court completes the process of sentencing him next month.