Ex-Sunderland & Man Utd Player Spared Jail Despite Admitting Second Drink Driving Offence in 3 Years

Former Sunderland, Everton and Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson has been issued with a two-year community order and a 40 month driving ban after admitting to a drink driving offence committed in March of this year.

Spared a jail sentence, Gibson had already previously admitted to drink driving, careless driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident following an earlier incident in 2015.

The 30-year-old, who was three times over the legal alcohol limit and damaged a total of six cars that he crashed into, must complete 250 hours of unpaid work and has been warned that he will be jailed for six months if he commits another similar offence in the future.

Gibson was formally released by Sunderland shortly after his arrest and an internal suspension.

He had played 15 times for the Black Cats in the Championship before injury ruled him out of action in January. His enforced absence and the associated affect on his mental health was put forward by his legal team as a reason for his behaviour.

Republic of Ireland international Gibson had joined Sunderland from Everton in January 2017 after five injury ravaged years at Goodison Park. He had previously emerged from the youth setup at Manchester United, playing a total of 60 times for the first team.

Following his release from Sunderland, he remains without a club.