Newcastle United footballer Joelinton pleads guilty to drink driving after 'two glasses of wine'

Newcastle United footballer Joelinton has told to pay more than £30,000 and banned from driving for a year after pleading guilty to drink driving.

The Brazilian midfielder appeared at Newcastle Magistrates Court on Thursday 26 January after being pulled over by police two weeks earlier (Thursday 12 January).

The court heard Joelinton, 26, told police he drank two glasses of wine earlier in the evening when he was pulled over in his Mercedes in the Ponteland Rd area at about 1:20am.

Joelinton arriving at Newcastle Magistrates Court:

He failed a breath test, which showed he had 43mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

District Judge Paul Currer said: "You were not in a position to control the vehicle properly. You presented a risk to other people and risked your own safety."

The Premier League footballer was fined £29,000 based on his weekly earnings, which the court heard was £43,000.

The player must also pay a £2,000 surcharge and £85 costs.

The 26-year-old has been disqualified from driving for 12 months, which will reduce to nine when he completes a drink driving rehabilitation course.

District Judge Paul Currer added: "You have cooperated fully. I am convinced you are genuinely remorseful."

On Instagram after his court appearance, Joelinton apologised.

"I wanted to acknowledge that I made a mistake and to publicly apologise to all the fans of Newcastle and all the people of this city," he wrote.

"My actions unintentionally put other people in danger.

"For that, I am truly sorry. I will learn from the lessons from this incident and will do everything I can to be a role model for my family, for football and for society."

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