Boozy star faces axe by BBC after racist rant at PC
FORMER top footballer Trevor Sinclair faced being dropped as a BBC pundit last night for racially abusing a policeman and being banned from the road for 20 months for drink-driving.
A BBC spokesman said Sinclair worked for the corporation on a freelance basis and it “currently had no scheduled plans” to use him again.
The father of four, 44, who played for Manchester City and West Ham and won 12 England caps, was also ordered to do 150 hours community service.
Blackpool magistrates heard that even though he was twice the legal limit for alcohol, Sinclair had asked the PC if he was being arrested because he was black and had then urinated in a patrol car.
Nick Freeman, defending, said the “catalyst” for his behaviour was being subjected to racism in front of his family while out having a meal hours earlier. He said a woman had patted him on the head and called him a “little chocolate man”.
The court heard Sinclair had called the officer a “white...” followed by a swear word as he was put in a police van. He made further racist comments in the van and continued to be “obnoxious, aggressive and racist while being booked in”.
Sinclair, of Lytham, near Blackpool, is a patron of the anti-racism in football charity Kick It Out.
He admitted drink-driving and a racially aggravated public order offence and was also ordered to pay £500 compensation to the policeman he racially abused.
Jim Mowbray, prosecuting, said police were alerted to an incident at Sinclair’s home at 8.45pm on November 12.
Police found his car stopped in the middle of the road in Blackpool after he had been in collision with a woman who stepped into his path. A breath test showed Sinclair was nearly twice the drink-drive limit, giving a reading of 72mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The limit is 35mcg.