Leroy Lita given 18-month driving ban after admitting drink-driving | OneFootball

Sunderland coach Leroy Lita has been banned from driving for 18 months after admitting drink-driving. The 41-year-old was sentenced at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

According to Sunderland Echo, District Judge Zoe Passfield also fined him £777, imposed a £311 victim surcharge and £300 costs, after he disclosed an annual salary of £30,000. She offered a drink‑driver rehabilitation course that could reduce the ban and warned that driving while disqualified risks jail.

Police stopped Lita on Shields Road near Cleadon at 11.50pm on 18 January over the manner of his driving. A roadside breath test showed 77mcg, and at the station his lowest evidential reading on the CAMIC was 74mcg, above the 35mcg limit.

At an earlier hearing he pleaded not guilty, saying police had blundered and that he believed the roadside figure was 38mcg. A trial was set and an expert report was mooted, but none arrived.

He later returned without legal representation, changed his plea to guilty and gave his address as Sunderland’s Academy of Light in Sunderland Road, Cleadon.

In mitigation he said the offence was out of character, accepted he was over the limit and apologised. He added that his work involves travelling the country to coach young players.

Lita enjoyed a 17-year career as a striker, including in the Premier League, with clubs including Middlesbrough and Reading.

Source: Sunderland Echo