Drink-drive rugby star is given 14-month road ban
Bath Rugby star Elliott Stooke has been banned from the roads for 14 months after pleading guilty to drink-driving.
Stooke, 27, failed a roadside breath test on January 24, when he was involved in a crash coming home from a social gathering with teammate Jonathan Joseph and Wasps’ Gabriel Oghre.
In an appearance at Bath Magistrates’ Court last week, Stooke, a former Gloucester Rugby player, was fined £1,875 and told to pay a victim surcharge of £187.
The lock was also banned for three games at an independent RFU disciplinary hearing for breaking the national coronavirus lockdown rules but is now eligible to play.
Stooke had been at teammate Joseph’s house, along with Oghre – a former Bath Academy player – and was on his way home when the crash happened.
According to evidence provided to the RFU disciplinary panel, Stooke’s vehicle came off the road when he reached for a bottle of water. The car was damaged to the extent that it could not be driven away.
Stooke attended hospital as a precautionary measure and after being released was taken into police custody having failed a roadside breath test following the “minor road traffic accident”.
He provided further samples at the station and Sky Sports reported that those taken at around 5am recorded readings of 53 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
The legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
In a written statement submitted to the disciplinary proceedings, Stooke said: “I understand the potential consequences of my actions and also understand how incredibly lucky I have been to not have hurt, been hurt, died myself or killed anyone.
“I have had time to reflect and understand that no amount of apologies can make this right.”
All three players were found to have broken the lockdown restrictions, which ban the mixing of different households.
Stooke and Joseph were suspended by Bath and the RFU for the lockdown breach.
Wasps hooker Oghre also received a suspension.
According to Bath, Stooke was issued a further sanction by the club disciplinary committee, chaired by chief executive Tarquin Mcdonald, and he received community service and a ‘formal written warning’ from the club.