Judge was right to brand Dean Saunders ‘arrogant’

Yesterday I viewed the police footage (above) of former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders which showed his arrest following a drink driving offence.

The 55-year-old talkSPORT pundit was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail and was banned from driving for 30 months for failing to provide a breath sample but has since been released pending an appeal on October 4th.

In the footage, Saunders embarrassingly claims to have only sunk one pint before getting behind the wheel. What’s even more embarrassing is that after viewing that footage, that Saunders has launched an appeal. If that was me in that video, I’d hang my head in shame, take it on my chins and try and educate myself about the consequences of drink driving. Unless of course you choose to believe that it was his asthma medication that put him in the state that he was in.

Whether or not Saunders drank any more than a single pint is irrelevant to me. No booze should cross your lips if you intend on driving anywhere. This may sound patronising and I’ve made plenty of mistakes throughout my life including getting behind the wheel with a drink in me when I was in my very early twenties, but you only need to take a look at the video below to see how the amber nectar can devastate lives. I’m actually named after my grandfather’s brother who was killed by a drunk driver and I can only imagine how dreadful that must have been for my older relatives.

Saunders, who later claimed to have had 2 pints, said he could not perform a breathalyser test because of his asthma which is some may see as an additional insult to people who have the condition.

Judge Nicholas Sanders branded the Welshman as “arrogant” and said he felt he was “above the law” because of his football career when he passed sentence.

He said: “Throughout these proceedings you have shown yourself to be arrogant, thinking you are someone whose previous and current role in the public eye entitles you to be above the law.

“In fact the opposite is true – someone in the public eye should expect a deterrent sentence when they flout the law.”

Sanders continued: “Your driving came to the attention of police officers. You very nearly caused a serious accident.

“They were seriously concerned you may cause an accident. You were stopped and failed to provide a breath specimen and continued with this obstructive and evasive conduct at the police station.

“I do not accept you were confused. You consistently refused to cooperate.”

I actually like Saunders and enjoy listening to him on the radio when he’s discussing the Reds along with other football topics, I’m just disappointed with him and I think that’s allowed.

I didn’t decide to publish an editorial to have a pop at the former Liverpool player, I saw it as an opportunity to bring awareness to the dangers of drink driving, especially to our younger readers. Please spare a moment to watch the video below. It’s only a minute-and-a-half long.

YNWA

Duncan Oldham
KopTalk Editor

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