Warner Charged in 0.104 Drink Driving Case — David Warner Drink Driving Charge
David Warner drink driving charge moved into court on Thursday after police said the 39-year-old allegedly blew 0.104 in Sydney's east on April 5. The former Australian Test opener has not yet entered a plea, and the charge has cast doubt on his Sydney Thunder captaincy.
Warner and Maroubra Police Station
Warner stopped short of a roadside test in Sydney's east before returning a positive result for alcohol, then was taken to Maroubra Police Station for a secondary test. Police said the second reading was 0.104, a figure more than double the legal blood alcohol limit, and he was charged with mid-range drink driving.
That sequence matters because the case now turns on the reading taken after the roadside stop, not the initial pull-over itself. Thursday was the first time the matter was mentioned in Waverley Local Court, and it was quickly adjourned.
Bobby Hill Outside Court
Warner's lawyer Bobby Hill foreshadowed a guilty plea at a later date and said his client had shared three glasses of wine at a friend's apartment before driving. Hill also said Warner's last drink had been 11 minutes before he was pulled over by police.
He knows what he did was wrong, Hill said outside court. He added that Warner accepts that was a reckless decision, a foolish decision to get in his car instead of taking an Uber.
It's not a crime to have a glass of wine on the day of the lord's resurrection. In fact, some would consider that completely appropriate, Hill said. His crime is, as I said, choosing a foolish plan A instead of a plan B. This case before the court is a reminder to everyone in the public about the dangers of self-assessments, he said, before adding that Warner was remorseful and would ask for leniency.
Cricket NSW and the Thunder
Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon said the allegations were concerning and were taken very seriously. At Cricket NSW, we are strong advocates for safe driving, not drink-driving, Germon said after the arrest.
The charge also lands on a player with a live leadership role: Warner is the Sydney Thunder Big Bash captain, and the case has already cast doubt on that position. He is one of the country's greatest batsmen, but the immediate issue is his court case and the effect it may have on the Thunder job he holds now.
Warner has not yet entered a plea, and Hill has already signaled that a guilty plea may come later. For now, the matter sits with Waverley Local Court while the public version of the case is defined by the 0.104 reading, the mid-range drink driving charge, and the pressure now hanging over his captaincy.
