Darren Day given 18-month ban for drink-driving

ACTOR and singer Darren Day was banned from driving for 18 months today after admitting being drunk behind the wheel.

The 40-year-old was almost twice the drink-drive limit when he was pulled over by police in Cardiff city centre in the early hours of June 18.

He had been due to stand trial at Cardiff Magistrates' Court today after denying the charge at a previous hearing.

But he arrived at court this morning without legal representation and changed his plea to guilty.

As well as banning Day from driving, District Judge Geraint Watkins also fined him £700.

Prosecutor David Roberts told the court there had been a lack of correspondence from Day's solicitors in relation to potential differences in the case and that he was told yesterday afternoon the actor intended representing himself.

Mr Roberts said police spotted the black Mercedes driven by Day as they patrolled St Mary Street in Cardiff and believed it was breaking the speed limit.

He said the officers turned their car around and followed the Mercedes, which went through a red light at the road's junction with Mill Lane.

Mr Roberts said the police flashed their car's blue lights and sounded the siren and the Mercedes was driven on to the wrong side of the road before it stopped.

He said Day failed to complete a breath test procedure: "He appeared to hesitate and sucked rather than blew."

The prosecutor said Day was then taken to a police station where he was given another test which gave a reading of 65 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath.

The limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

After asking the judge whether he should call him "sir", Day said: "I can't swear I was driving at speed and when I was told I was driving on the wrong side of the road, truthfully I did dispute that."

He said it was on those grounds that he had previously pleaded not guilty.

"The reason I'm representing myself today is because I wanted to say for myself I'm a husband and a father and I've never done anything like that before," he said.

"I take my responsibilities very seriously. I'm sure other people in my position say this, but I hardly ever drink and I certainly never get behind the wheel of a car when I've had too much alcohol."

He told the court he got in his car because he wanted to move it off a yellow line.

"I realised when I got behind the wheel that I was in the wrong," he went on.

"Truly, on my children's life, I'm truly sorry for that.

"I ask you, sir, I realise I should be punished, but I ask you to take into consideration that I totally rely on my car for my job and I have three children and a wife to support."

Day, who gave his address as Pontefract Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: "One of my children lives four hours from where I live and without my car it would make things incredibly difficult to pick him up for my weekends with him."

He added: "I can only throw myself at the mercy of the court and ask for you, sir, to be as lenient with me as you feel you can be."

The judge asked Day whether he could assume his means were adequate to pay a fine.

When Day asked: "What kind of ball park are you talking about?", the judge asked him to fill in a form to assess how much he could afford.

After leaving the court to fill in the form, Day told the judge he had not been able to disclose his income.

"I'm an actor and to answer what my net pay is is so difficult because it varies," he said.

Sentencing Day, the judge said: "You appear to be genuine and contrite about this offence."

He fined Day £700 and ordered him to pay £100 costs and a £15 surcharge.

The judge also banned Day from driving for 18 months, but said he would have the opportunity to attend a driver rehabilitation course which would reduce the ban to 14 months if successfully completed.

Day declined to comment as he left the court.