Venus drink drive - £3,000 fine and ban

IPSWICH Town footballer Mark Venus was today banned from driving for 18 months and fined £3,000 at Colchester Magistrates Court for being almost twice over the legal drink-drive limit.

The 35 year old defender who lives in Dedham, near Colchester, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with excess alcohol on Sunday, November 10.

Venus was stopped by police after being seen to swerve across Bourne Road in Colchester at around 2am. Police had been following the car for a short while.

When breathalysed, Venus gave a reading of 65 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

The court heard that Venus was returning from a party where he was said to have drunk four pints of bitter.

Defending, Paul Roach asked the court to take into consideration the fact that Venus is in the last year of his contract as a footballer at Ipswich Town and that any ban on driving would hit him hard.

Venus, who was arrested while driving his wife's silver Saab car appeared in court wearing a grey suit and pink shirt. He sat with his head bowed for much of the ten-minute hearing.

Venus will now complete a drink driving rehabilitation course and has also been ordered to pay £55 towards court costs.

The court set the level of fine after considering Venus's financial situation. Venus now has 28 days to pay the fine in full. He left court without commenting.