Former England captain tells court he is alcoholic and will abstain from drinking, as he is given four-year driving ban

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The former England footballer Ray Wilkins has told a court he is an alcoholic who has no choice but to stay away from alcohol or face ruining his life, as he received a four-year ban for drink-driving.



Wilkins, 59, pleaded guilty to the offence at Uxbridge magistrates court after being found to have been three times over the limit.



A member of the public spotted him driving his Mercedes in the middle of the road and straddling a bus lane along the A4 northern perimeter road in London on 1 July.



He was seen striking a kerb and drinking alcohol from a bottle behind the wheel. The witness took his keys away when the car stopped, to prevent a possible accident.



The district judge, Tim Boswell, gave Wilkins – who has two previous drink-driving convictions from 2013 – a 10-week suspended prison sentence, ordered him to do 140 hours’ unpaid work and banned him from driving for 48 months.



Wilkins said: “Abstinence is the only way I can cure this situation.”



Wilkins’ lawyer, Sarah-Kate McIntyre, told the court of his long-running battle against alcoholism, saying the former top-flight footballer was “ashamed and embarrassed” to be in the dock.

He believes he “blacked out”, she said. McIntyre said that Wilkins appreciated the danger he caused to himself and the public as well as the hardship he had caused his family, and that he accepted full responsibility for the offence.



Wilkins, who was found to have 100 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, is on an intensive residential rehabilitation course at the Priory hospital in Woking, Surrey.



Of the offence, McIntyre said that Wilkins did not remember anything that happened as he left a golf club where he was attending a charity event.



She said: “He believes he blacked out, as he has done before … Mercifully no one was hurt.

“He was cooperative with the police. His reaction was, ‘That’s my life fucked.’ He is now working hard to turn his life around. He also knows that his marriage is in jeopardy if he continues to drink.”

McIntyre said Wilkins, of Cobham, Surrey, had done work with Sporting Chance, a clinic which was set up by former England and Arsenal captain Tony Adams in 2000 so that sports stars could get support in tackling their alcoholism.



When Wilkins left that facility, he did not believe he was an alcoholic, she said. “He does now,” she added.



The member of the public flagged down a police car that night. A police officer noticed that the ex-footballer’s eyes were “glazed, he was unsteady on his feet and there was a smell of alcohol” coming from him, according to Izolda Gribbin, prosecuting.

Getting to his feet in the dock, Wilkins told the judge that his previous treatment with Sporting Chance had been “residential but nowhere near as intense as I am doing now”.



His current treatment is due to end on 1 August. He stood again when the judge asked if he was aware that he must not drink again after McIntyre pointed out that “should he relapse, his marriage would be in jeopardy”.



Wilkins said: “Yes, I do. Abstinence is the only way I can cure this situation.” He is also doing work with the League Managers Association.

The judge told Wilkins: “You provided your guilty plea promptly. You are now someone who recognises the problem you have and you are taking steps to deal with that problem. It will not be easy. This court sees many people battling addiction so you have a tough road ahead.”



The judge said he appreciated that Wilkins had a “genuine desire to change”. Wilkins responded by saying “absolutely”. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

Before leaving the dock, Wilkins, dressed in a black three-piece suit, told the judge: “Thank you for dealing with it as swiftly as you have, sir. It has been a great help.”



Wilkins was England captain on 10 occasions and capped 84 times, including at the 1986 Mexico World Cup.



He played for AC Milan and Paris St Germain before going on to become a manager and coach for teams including Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers.



Outside court, he said: “I will be judged on the crime I have committed and that is 100% [right].



“I only ask I will not be judged on the alcohol problem I have. I am an addict. I also ask that my family can be shown just a tad more privacy. I would be delighted with that.”