Warner sentenced for drunk driving

Warner tried to switch seats with a female passenger in a car while approaching a random breath-testing checkpoint on Easter Sunday. Police later confirmed that he was driving. The test found more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

Warner's lawyer Awais Ahmad appealed in court not to find him guilty. He argued that Warner had already faced considerable negative publicity due to the incident being widely reported in the international media. He also mentioned that the matter had been reported in various media outlets including ESPN, Al Jazeera and the Indian Express.

The lawyer also claimed that social attitudes against drinking are relatively strict in countries like India and Bangladesh. As a result, Warner's commercial opportunities in T20 franchise leagues in these countries are likely to be damaged.

However, Judge Claire Farnan did not take these arguments into account. He said that it was necessary to take a strict stance to prevent the trend of drunk driving. The incident was also given added weight by the presence of children in the car, he said.

The judge said more than 17,300 people in New South Wales had been charged with mid-range drink-driving in the past five years. He admitted it was unlikely that Warner would commit the same offence in the future, but warned that drink-driving was still a major cause of road accidents in the state.

Warner was arrested on his return to Australia for the Easter break after captaining the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League. The court was told that the incident could also affect his captaincy of the Sydney Thunder.

Warner will be able to drive again only after applying for an interlock licence and installing a specific device in his car. The interlock device will prevent the engine from starting if alcohol is detected before the car is started.

Source: Cricket Australia