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| Zak Hardaker: Wigan Warriors player admits drink-driving | Zak Hardaker: Wigan Warriors player admits drink-driving |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| England and Wigan Warriors rugby league player Zak Hardaker has pleaded guilty to drink-driving. | England and Wigan Warriors rugby league player Zak Hardaker has pleaded guilty to drink-driving. |
| The 26-year-old full-back was arrested in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, in the early hours of 26 September and charged later that day. | |
| Leeds Magistrates' Court heard he attempted to avoid police officers by taking his car down a cul-de-sac and running away on foot. | Leeds Magistrates' Court heard he attempted to avoid police officers by taking his car down a cul-de-sac and running away on foot. |
| Hardaker, of Pontefract, was given a 20-month ban from driving. | |
| The player, who is nearing the end of a 14-month ban from rugby for cocaine use and joined Wigan in May, also received a £1,810 fine. | |
| Latest news and stories from Yorkshire | |
| The court heard officers later visited his home, with Hardaker claiming not to have been the driver or the owner of the Ford Fiesta. | |
| He was found to be at more that twice the drink drive limit and told officers he had two gins and six pints. | |
| Nick Hammond, defending, told how the conviction could have a "devastating effect" on the sportsman's career. | |
| His bid to run away was a "very amateurish attempt to avoid the attentions of the police", he added. | |
| At the time, his club said in a statement: "The player is co-operating with the police investigation. Wigan Warriors will allow the legal process to take its course." |