Ant McPartlin pleads guilty to drink-drive charge
TV presenter admits he was more than twice the legal drink-drive limit when his car collided with two others last month
Comedian and presenter Ant McPartlin has pleaded guilty to a charge of drink-driving at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court today. McPartlin, who was charged following a collision in Richmond, London last month, was breath-tested at the scene and found to be more than twice the legal drink-drive limit.
McPartlin gave a roadside breath reading of 75 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
McPartlin’s Mini collided with two other cars during the incident. The driver of one, reading a witness statement, said that his car ‘came round the corner like a rocket’.
The other driver said, also in a witness statement: “Myself and my family were in deep shock as we believed we could have died as a result of Mr McPartlin’s reckless driving.”
As a result of the charge, McPartlin has been fined £86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months. His ban can be reduced to 15 months if he completes a drink-drive re-education programme.
In a statement read out in court, McPartlin said he ‘accepts full responsibility’ for the incident. He said he was ‘ashamed and mortified’ by his actions.
