Former Shrewsbury and Telford footballer loses drink drive appeal
A former Shrewsbury Town and AFC Telford footballer boasted to police he was a millionaire who had played in the Premier League and declared "I am Rooney" – after being held for drink-driving, a court heard.
James Hurst, 26, a full-back who once played for West Brom and Shrewsbury then more recently Wrexham AFC and Telford, had allegedly danced around when taken to a breathalyser in custody at Wrexham, and declared: “Oh, the Welsh dream is over.”
But at Caernarfon Crown Court he appealed his convictions for drink-driving in a Ford Focus and being drunk and disorderly last December at Wrexham, claiming he’d drunk a small bottle of vodka after parking the car.
Judge Timothy Petts, sitting with magistrates, threw out the appeal and said Hurst had lied. Judge Petts said if Hurst, of Sutton Coldfield, had drunk vodka there would have been no reason not to mention it to police at the time.
Hurst claimed he was now unemployed and had no money. But the judge ordered him to pay £620 costs for the appeal.
Magistrates at Llandudno had given him a bill for £2,300 and a 20 month ban.
Pc Sarah Smith told the judge how she first came across Hurst when he drove the wrong way in Wrexham High Street, but she couldn’t smell alcohol and allowed him to turn around and drive off.
However, when the policewoman arrived back at the town’s police station, a CCTV operator informed her that Hurst had parked the car and was “spending a penny” outside a building society.
Pc Smith said Hurst appeared unsteady but, during a roadside breath test procedure, had twice replied “no” when asked if he had drunk alcohol in the previous 20 minutes.
Pc Anita Hickish said Hurst had bragged after being arrested: "I earn more than all of you put together. I’m a star.”
The prosecution claimed he had seven-and-a-half pints of Guinness earlier that day at another pub.
But Judge Petts said CCTV footage showed Hurst appeared to be “considerably disinhibited” in the street before going into the Golden Lion. He added: "We reject his account of drinking the vodka after the offence.”
