Rooney handed two-year driving ban after found guilty

Former England football team captain Wayne Rooney was on Monday handed a two-year driving ban after he admitted to drink-driving.

John Temperley, the district judge at Stockport magistrates court, said he would not impose a fine on the Everton forward and instead banned him from the roads for two years. He also sentenced Rooney to a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work, reports The Guardian.

"I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this was a serious offence, you were driving a motor vehicle almost three times the legal limit and you were carrying a female passenger, which was an aggravating feature and you put other road users at risk," the judge said.

The 31-year-old was arrested after police stopped his car in Wilmslow, Cheshire, in the early hours on September 1.

In a statement issued after the hearing, the former Manchester United forward said: "I want publicly to apologise for my unforgivable lack of judgement in driving while over the legal limit. It was completely wrong.

"I have already said sorry to my family, my manager and chairman and everyone at Everton FC. Now I want to apologise to all the fans and everyone else who has followed and supported me throughout my career.

"Of course, I accept the sentence of the court and hope that I can make some amends through my community service."

During the test conducted earlier after Rooney's arrest, breathalyser showed the alcohol level was 104 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of breath.

The drink-drive limit in England and Wales is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath.

--IANS

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