David Warner fined AUD 1,500 for drink-driving after attempting to swap seats before breath test
David Warner, the former Australia opener, has been fined AUD 1,500 after a Sydney court heard he wanted to move to seat he was sitting in while travelling to the random breath-testing station to share with a passenger.
Waverley Local Court sentenced Warner on Tuesday for his guilt in the offence, which was last month’s on Easter Sunday. Australian Associated Press says the former Australian batsman had an alcohol reading above twice the legal limit.
The court heard the Dhaka High Court case that Warner was in Australia during his Pakistan Super League match and had taken three glasses of wine at a function. Warner was “acted on by the impulse of his character” to drive his family home, his barrister, Awais Ahmad, claimed.
The facts agreed before the Court show that as Warner was approaching a police breath testing site, she saw one ahead and pulled up short of it. Then allegedly tried to reposition himself to the same passenger who was a woman. Later, police found that Warner was the driver and he participated in testing without complaint.
The presence of the children of Warner in the car did make the offence worse, said judge Clare Farnan. Warner also will be required to go through an 12-month period of an ignition interlock device being installed on his vehicle. The device cuts off the power to a vehicle if it senses alcohol in the driver.
Warner’s lawyers had asked for no conviction to be recorded and said that the incident had a “serious professional and commercial impact. He called for privacy in the trial, pointing out that media coverage may impact future plans for his joining the T20 franchise, both in his own country and Bangladesh.
The court also heard that Sydney Thunder’s position as captain could be affected due to Warner’s playing with the team in the Big Bash League. Both the Thunder and the Sydney Sixers are taking part in a campaign by the NSW government to raise awareness of the threat of drink-driving.