A Newcastle United footballer has been convicted of drink driving.
Joelinton Cássio, 36, of Darras Hall, Ponteland, admitted driving a motor vehicle when the amount of alcohol in his breath exceeded the prescribed limit when he appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 26th January 2023.
This is an offence contrary to section 5(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and has a maximum penalty of 26 weeks' custody and/or a fine at level 5 (unlimited) on summary conviction.
The court heard that the Brazilian midfielder was driving home from Newcastle during the early hours of Thursday, 12th January 2023, when the police had cause to stop his black Mercedes in relation to the speed it was being driven.
Jonathan Stirland, prosecuting, outlined the circumstances: "The [officer] formed the view that the car was speeding or going too fast for the road. It caused him to turn his vehicle around and followed the Mercedes on to the Central Motorway.
"He requested the vehicle to stop. The driver complied. While in a safe space, the officer spoke to the driver, who is the defendant before you today."
The officers asked Cássio if he had consumed any alcohol, to which he admitted drinking two glasses of wine earlier in the evening.
They then performed a roadside breath test, which indicated he was above the prescribed limit. Cássio was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst over the prescribed limit and taken to Forth Banks Police Station, Newcastle.
At the police station he provided an evidential specimen of breath containing 50 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, which exceeds the prescribed limit of 35 microgrammes.
The footballer has no previous convictions.
Geoffrey Forrester, mitigating, told the court that Cássio believed he was sober and safe to drive.
"He was utterly calm and compliant at the scene and at the police station," he said.
"He's apologised to all concerned and, if he could turn the clock back, he would."
Addressing Cássio, District Judge Paul Currer said: "This type of offence is always regarded seriously by the court.
"That's because, when you drove your car while over the prescribed limit, you were not in a position to control it properly or react as you normally would to any dangers or obstacles you may have encountered."
DJ Currer added that he "sincerely hopes" the player had learnt from his mistake.
"This offending could, potentially, have had disastrous consequences for the lives of others, as well as yourself," he said.
Cássio was fined £29,000 and ordered to pay £2,000 surcharge and £85 towards prosecution costs.
He was also disqualified from driving for a period of 12 months.
DJ Currer offered him a chance to take the drink drive rehabilitation course, successful completion of which will reduce his period of disqualification by 12 weeks.
Reading from a statement after the hearing, Cássio said: "Hi everyone, I wanted to acknowledge that I made a mistake and to publicly apologise to all the fans of Newcastle and all the people of this city. My actions unintentionally put other people in danger. For that, I am truly sorry.
"I will learn the lessons from his incident and will do everything I can to be a role model for my family, for football and for society."
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