The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Ant apologises and asks for forgiveness
Court: TV presenter banned for 20 months and fined £86,000
TV presenter Ant McPartlin has said he was “ashamed and mortified” after crashing his car while drink-driving with his mother in the passenger seat.
The 42-year-old was banned from driving for 20 months and fined £86,000 after pleading guilty to driving while more than twice the legal limit.
The court heard that McPartlin had been seeking help for “alcohol and emo- tional issues” at the time of the crash in Richmond, west London, on March 18.
Prosecutor Katie Sinnett-Jones told Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court yesterday that the incident happened at around 3.50pm when McPartlin drove his Mini around a “sharp bend and lost control” then ended up on the wrong side of the road.
He collided with another Mini Cooper before driving “straight into the front of an oncoming car”.
The court heard that the driver of the other Mini said afterwards he thought he and his family were going to die in the collision.
In a statement read by Ms Sinnett-Jones, he said: “Myself and my family were in deep shock as we believed we could have died as as a result of Mr McPartlin’s reckless driving.”
McPartlin stood in the glass dock in court to confirm his name, date of birth, address and nationality before pleading guilty to driving with 75 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
McPartlin’s barrister Liam Walker said: “Anthony McPartlin is sorry and is doing everything he can to ensure this never happens again.
“He hopes that in time he can make himself better and that he might be forgiven by all of the many people he knows and he feels he has let down terribly.”
The court heard that in a statement to police McPartlin said: “I am very sorry I did this. I am ashamed and mortified that this happened.
“I accept full culpability for this and wish to apologise to all those concerned.”
“Myself and my family believed we could have died as a result”