Football

Tottenham Hotspur star was surrounded by vomit & slurring words when pulled over for jumping red light

Drink-drive shame Spurs star Hugo Lloris was surrounded by vomit and slurring his words when pulled over by police for running a red light in his Porsche.

The World Cup winning Tottenham keeper was more than twice over the booze limit when breath-tested, magistrates were told.

The France and Spurs skipper was fined £50,000 and banned from driving for 20 months after he was stopped following dinner with friends at a restaurant in central London.

Both staff and diners “were sending over drinks to them through the course of the evening”, just 40 days after he lifted the World Cup trophy in Moscow, a court heard.

The star was “plainly drunk” when he left the restaurant, according to his own lawyer.

And it was “pure luck” he didn’t hit a pedestrian after he decided to drive home in the early hours of the morning, a magistrate said.

Lloris admitted drink driving at Westminster Magistrates Court this morning (WED) after he was pulled over by police in a routine stop at 2.20am on Friday August 24.

He was stopped driving his 2018 Porche Panamera in Gloucester Place, Marylebone, central London, just around the corner from the courthouse.

Lloris, who lives in a £5.9 million property in East Finchley, north London, showed 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of his breath – more than double the legal limit of 35mg.

Henry Fitch, prosecuting, said police in an unmarked car pulled over the footballer after they saw him driving erratically.

He said: “Their attention was drawn to a Porche.

“It was not moving smoothly, travelling at a slower speed that was expected – 15 miles per hour in a 30mph.

“One of the officers observed it veer a number of times towards parked vehicles nearly clipping them.

“Officers observed the vehicle go through a red light.”

Mr Fitch added: “Having stopped the vehicle one of the officers went to speak to the driver.

“His speech was slurred, he was helped from the vehicle by one of the officers. He was unstable on his feet. There was evidence of vomit at the scene.

“Mr Lloris was therefore arrested on being unfit to drive.”

He said Lloris, who has no previous convictions, was driving with a passenger.

Lloris arrived at the court building flanked by two members of his entourage, who were dropped off together outside in a chauffeured car shortly before 9.30am.

He appeared in the dock wearing a smart black jacket, black trousers and grey shirt without a tie and spoke only to confirm his name, address, date of birth and French nationality.

His lawyer, David Sonn, said: “On July 15 Mr Lloris was arguably the proudest man on the planet as he raised the World Cup on behalf of his home nation.

“Just 40 days later he was arrested in Central London and experienced the indignity of being handcuffed and detained in a police station cell overnight.”

Mr Sonn said Lloris “immediately after his release issued a statement to the media apologising to his family, his club, his teammates and to supporters.”

He added: “Today most importantly he apologises to the court.”

He said: “Mr Lloris had been dining with friends in central London.

“He had booked a taxi to take him to the venue in advance from his address.

“Unfortunately that taxi cancelled at the last minute and Mr Lloris made what was probably the first of a number of unwise decisions that evening and decided to drive to the venue.

“As it happens he was able to park quite easily outside.”

Asked how far Lloris drove after he left, his solicitor said: “A mile at the most, maybe about half a mile.”

Chairing the bench, Amanda Barron said: “It sounds like in this case he did actually drive a fair distance.”

Mr Sonn said: “He arrived at the restaurant. He was with two friends and he and they were predictably showered with hospitality given the circumstances, not just by the restaurant but by other diners who were sending over drinks to them through the course of the evening.”

He said Lloris left at about 2am, adding: “He was plainly drunk and, of course, at that moment he should have decided to leave the vehicle where it was and worry about recovering it another time.”

The solicitor said Mr Lloris later told him “it’s when you’re drunk you’re most liable to make the sort of foolish mistake he did.”

He added: “He made a terrible error and that error was to drive home and that has led to the sequence of events that bring him to this court today.”

Lloris has spent six years in Britain and presently has a clean licence, he added.

Mr Sonn said: “The passenger had dined with Mr Lloris.

“The passenger would have been aware what he had consumed and could have persuaded him not to drive and refused to be a passenger.”

But Ms Barron said: “Mr Lloris should have thought harder about not driving given he was not just putting his own life at risk but putting the passenger’s life at risk.”

Fining Lloris and banning him from driving, Ms Barron told him: “It’s a very serious offence as you know. You had a reading of 80mg which is twice the legal limit.

“It was also aggravated by the fact that there was evidence of an unacceptable standard of driving.

“You went though a red light and you nearly hit a parked car.

“It was aggravated by the fact you were carrying a passenger.”

She added: “We have also noted it was late at night in central London and it was pure luck you didn’t have an accident and cause damage to other cars and possible pedestrians.”

She said she would have fined him £75,000 but gave credit for his guilty plea.

The magistrate said: “We have chosen a fine which we think reflects the seriousness of the offence and your financial circumstances.”

She said it was chosen to be “equal” to someone of normal means.

Lloris apologised “wholeheartedly” after he was caught and Spurs said it would take the matter “very seriously”.

In a statement shared in August, the goalkeeper said: “I wish to apologise wholeheartedly to my family, the club, my team-mates, the manager and all of the supporters.

“Drink driving is completely unacceptable, I take full responsibility for my actions and it is not the example I wish to set.”

The goalkeeper captained France to World Cup glory in Russia when they swept aside Croatia in the final on July 15.

He joined Spurs in 2012 and is now the club’s captain, with 74 clean sheets from 207 appearances.

 

Joe Mellor

Head of Content

Published by