Thursday 11 October 2018 15:03, UK
Wigan Warriors and England full-back Zak Hardaker has pleaded guilty at Leeds Magistrates' Court to drink-driving.
The 26-year-old was given a 20-month ban from driving after prosecutors told how, when approached by police officers, he parked his car down a cul-de-sac along Knottingly Road, Pontefract, and ran away on foot.
Leeds Magistrates' Court heard that when officers later visited his home, Hardaker claimed not to have been the driver and said that the Ford Fiesta involved was not his car.
He read at more that twice the drink drive limit and told officers he had two gins and six pints.
The full-back, who was listed on court documents as Zak Dakin, was also given a £1,810 fine.
Nick Hammond, defending, told how the conviction could have a "devastating effect" on the sportsman's career, adding that the initial attempt to run away was a "very amateurish attempt to avoid the attentions of the police".
Hardaker, who is currently serving a 14-month ban from rugby for cocaine use, signed for Wigan in May.
He was thrown out of England's World Cup squad in 2013 for a breach of discipline and in 2015 agreed to pay £200 in compensation and write a letter of apology to a 22-year-old man under a "community resolution" after admitting assault.
