England and Manchester United record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has been found guilty of drink-driving after appearing in court on Monday morning.

The Everton striker was found to be three times over the limit and had been banned from driving for two years after pleading guilty to what he has claimed was a "terrible mistake", while driving home with another woman who wasn't his wife.

The Hearing

The former England captain was initially pulled over by police at around 2am on September 1 after being seen in a club in Manchester before being breathalysed and subsequently arrested.

As well as receiving a two year ban from driving the 31-year-old will be fined two weeks wages by Everton and will have to undertake 100 hours of voluntary community service over the next 12 months after admitting the charge in court this morning (September 18).

Judge John Temperley, told Rooney that a fine would not be a reasonable charge for the striker and instead banned him from the roads for two years. While in the court Temperley said “I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you this was a serious offence.

"You were driving a motor vehicle almost three times the legal limit and you were carrying a female passenger, which was an aggravating feature, and you put other road users at risk.

”

Apologetic Rooney

The father of three was full of remorse after the hearing. “Following today’s court hearing I want publicly to apologise for my unforgivable lack of judgment in driving while over the legal limit.

It was completely wrong. I have already said sorry to my family, my manager and chairman and everyone at Everton FC. Now I want to apologise to all the fans and everyone else who has followed and supported me throughout my career."

It was revealed he had 104 micrograms in his system per 100 millilitres of breath, with the acceptable rate being 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres meaning he was over three times above the allowed driving limit.

Rooney rejoined Everton from Manchester United in the summer after spending 13 years at Old Trafford and impressed when scoring in his side's opening two matches of the season against Stoke and Manchester City. But has now seen his childhood side lose four consecutive matches without scoring a goal, a run of form that has seen Everton drop into the relegation zone after five matches.

The 31-year-old announced his retirement from international football after the City game but has since struggled for form being part of the Toffees team that were emphatically beaten by his former side 4-0 on Sunday as he returned to Old Trafford for the first time since his departure.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED