Rangers player Dujon Sterling has been fined £2,250 and disqualified from driving for a year after admitting to drink-driving and careless driving offences.
The 26-year-old pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Tuesday to driving at “excessive speeds” on city centre roads, including Queen Street, Hope Street, and West Graham Street, before colliding with a barrier near the M8 motorway on 4 January this year.
The incident occurred just hours after Rangers had beaten Old Firm rivals Celtic 3-1 on 3 January.
Sterling admitted a charge of careless driving and also pleaded guilty to driving with 60 microgrammes (mcg) of alcohol in 100 millilitres (ml) of breath. This figure significantly exceeds the legal limit of 22mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.
Sheriff Mary Shields imposed a £750 fine for the careless driving charge and a further £1,500 for the drink-driving offence, alongside the 12-month driving ban.
Fiscal depute Christa Lindsay informed the court that police were called to the scene in the early hours of 4 January following a witness report of a vehicle crash.
She stated: “Police saw the accused outside of the vehicle on his mobile phone. He told them he had not suffered any injuries. He stated that he had lost control and veered towards the protective barrier before crashing into it.”
Ms Lindsay added that officers noted Sterling appeared to be in a “dazed condition”. He cooperated with a roadside breath test, which he failed, leading to him being taken to a police station.
CCTV footage presented to the court showed Sterling driving in an “uncontrolled manner, narrowly missing a vehicle” in the city centre. The prosecutor described his driving as “erratic” and highlighted a moment where he had to “heavily brake” to avert a collision.
The court heard the journey covered approximately 1.5 miles in an area with a 30mph speed limit. While no speedometer reading was available, the vehicle was estimated to be travelling “in excess” of the speed limit. Sterling was initially charged with dangerous driving, but this was later amended to careless driving.
Ronnie Simpson, representing Sterling, told the court that the footballer accepted he should not have been driving that night.
He said: “His employer has imposed a financial penalty on him. He had been celebrating the conclusion of an important day at his place of work. He is under no illusion that he should not have been driving. He has been punished in some respect by his employer.”
