Dean Saunders
Former Premier League star Dean Saunders was branded ‘arrogant’ by a judge today as he was jailed for refusing to give a breath test after downing pints at the races.
The former Liverpool striker refused to take a breathalyser when he was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving in his £70,000 Audi A8 in Boughton, Chester, on May 10.
The ex-Welsh international was caught on police bodycam footage slurring his speech and propping himself up against his car when he was asked to get out of the vehicle.
When taken to a police station, he again failed to provide a breath sample.
The 55-year-old said he had been out at the Chester Races and had ‘drunk two pints.’
Saunders claimed his asthma prevented him from giving a breath sample, but failed to tell officers about his condition when he was arrested.
Jailing him for 10 weeks, the judge said the father-of-three considered himself ‘above the law’ and had shown ‘no real remorse’.
Saunders pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing but admitted a charge of failing to comply with a roadside breath test and failing to provide a breath sample for analysis at the eleventh hour.
The star, who also played for Aston Villa and Derby County and was capped by Wales 75 times, was also banned from driving for 30 months and ordered to pay court costs of £620.
Conor Johnstone, defending Saunders, said he would be appealing against the sentence because he believed it was ‘excessive.’
He was refused bail while he seeks leave to appeal against the sentence, and was sent straight to prison.
He was due to go on trial on Wednesday but indicated through his lawyers on Tuesday that he would not be contesting the charges and entered his guilty plea on Wednesday morning.