Hendry banned from the road for drink driving
FORMER Scotland football star Colin Hendry has been banned from the road for 17 months after dropping his fight against a drink-driving charge.
Lawyers for Hendry had called for a ‘special reasons’ hearing yesterday after arguing that the amount of alcohol he consumed did not tally with the reading recorded by police.
But the case went straight to sentencing after Blackpool Magistrates Court heard tests showed the 49-year-old was definitely over the legal limit.
Hendry was arrested by police after being stopped while driving a Ford Focus in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, at 1.05am on February 21.
The former international defender, who claimed he had not drunk alcohol for the previous seven weeks, provided a reading of 63 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit in England is 35 micrograms.
Magistrates also fined him £110 and ordered to him pay £200 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £20.
Born in Keith, Moray, Hendry now lives in Lytham. He was Scotland captain at the 1998 World Cup and played for a series of clubs, including Rangers, Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City.
Hendry, who has no previous convictions, opted to go on a driver improvement programme which will reduce his ban to 13 months if he completes it.
When Hendry admitted drink-driving last month, his solicitor Gwyn Lewis said he either had alcohol in his system of which he was unaware or had a ‘quite rare’ metabolism which meant a correct reading would not be given.
Yesterday, Mr Lewis said their instructed forensic scientist concluded that, based on his metabolism, Hendry would have ‘perhaps’ given a reading of 41 micrograms – still over the limit.
The court heard an officer in a marked police vehicle noticed Hendry’s car emerge from a side road in a ‘ brisk manner’ and appear to accelerate as its speed did not fall below 50mph in both 20mph and 30mph zones.
Hendry was stopped when his offside wheel was seen to cross double white lines. He gave a positive roadside test and two more samples at a police station.
Mr Lewis said: ‘I have been instructed by my client to apologise that this has come before the court. He is someone of relatively advanced years to come before the court for the first time and apologises for his behaviour.
‘He still does not understand t he r eading. He will never understand how it is we come to the figure of 63. He told the officers the quantities of alcohol he consumed.’
The solicitor said Hendry had decided to have a drink following ‘some emotional upset at what happened on a particular day’.
He added: ‘ Mr Hendry is a fit man and regularly cycles. He had not drunk for seven weeks before he was arrested. He started what some call a dry January following the death of his wife in 2009.
‘He fell into the trap, which many an individual can do, where they take a decision to drive when they have had a drink.
‘I am sure there will be no repetition and he will not come before the court again.’
Mr Lewis said Hendry’s finances were ‘ to say the least, complicated’, adding: ‘Effectively, he was made bankrupt a number of years ago and his position will continue to be pretty meagre. The situation will change when he can draw a pension, something that will begin in May.
‘Whatever financial penalty you impose, we would ask that he be allowed six weeks to pay it.’
Hendry was arrested at the weekend over an allegation that he breached a restraining order by contacting an ex-girlfriend.
Previously, he had reportedly pestered beautician Sarah Kinder after the breakdown of their relationship.
Hendry began seeing her following the death of his wife, Denise, 42, in 2009 after botched cosmetic surgery.
A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: ‘A 49-year- old man f rom Lytham St Annes was arrested on April 18 on suspicion of harassment and breach of a restraining order and bailed pending further inquiries until April 24.’
‘Emotional upset on a particular day’