Ex-footballer crashed his car through a shop after drinking ‘up to 10 pints’ | UK News

This is the troubling moment a former Premiere League striker plowed his car through a shop causing £5,000 damage.

Danny Graham, who began his footballing career at Middlesbrough FC, was almost three times the legal height when he smashed through the glass doors of the Co-op Village store on the Teesside estate in Wynyard.

CCTV footage shows his black Land Rover knocking over several shelves of wine and food.

Glass and debris can be seen strewn around the store where a customer had recently been standing with his dog.

Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard the 37-year-old “can’t remember” why he was driving his car after drinking “up to 10 pints”.

Graham, who has also played for Sunderland, Blackburn and Swansea, said he played golf before heading over to a friend’s house for a few drinks.

The father-of-three told a parole officer he had been drinking “between five and ten pints” and intended to catch a cab home. But instead he got behind the wheel.

Prosecutor Mike Lawson said Graham was taken to a witness’s home to await the arrival of officers to “protect him”.

His blood was drawn and found to contain no less than 230mg of alcohol in 100ml, while the legal limit is 80mg.

He spent the night after the crash in a jail cell and the court heard it was the first time he had been arrested.

Luckily, judges heard that no one was injured in the crash, which occurred on November 4, 2022.

But Mr Lawson said the shop had to remain closed for five days, resulting in an estimated total loss of £32,000.

Choi Cheng said mitigatingly, “Graham is very apologetic. He deeply regrets this offense.

“He’s a man of early good character who has never been in court for anything in the past.”

Graham pleaded guilty to drunk driving and received a 12-month community directive in which he must do 180 hours of unpaid work.

He is also subject to a 90-day drinking ban monitored by a brand.

In addition, Graham was banned from driving for 24 months – but is allowed to complete the drunk driving rehabilitation course, which shortens the disqualification by three months.

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