England cricketer blames cat for drink-drive arrest

(PA)

Graeme Swann, the England cricketer, told police officers he was going to the supermarket to buy screwdrivers to rescue his cat after he was pulled over for drink-driving at 3am, a court heard.

The 31-year-old spin bowler, from West Bridgford, Nottingham, had been out celebrating his birthday with friends when he returned home to discover his pet trapped under the floorboards, he told police. He said he then got in his Porsche Cayenne and drove towards a branch of Asda when he was pulled over by a marked police car, Nottingham magistrates' court heard.

Police Constable Steven Denniss, told the court he decided to pull Mr Swann over because he was driving a high-performance car in an area where there had been a spate of burglaries. He said when he turned round to pursue the cricketer, Mr Swann accelerated before eventually stopping.

PC Denniss, who had just started his patrol on 2 April, said: "Mr Swann stated he had been out that evening and had come back to find his cat trapped under the floorboards in his house. He had gone to Asda to fetch some screwdrivers to remove some floorboards. His speech was slightly slurred but he was compliant. He was slightly upset due to the fact of his cat and what had just happened."

PC Denniss said that Mr Swann, who is widely regarded as one of the world's best spin bowlers, then admitted to the officer that he "shouldn't have probably been driving".

Police Constable Caroline Voce was travelling with PC Denniss in a marked police car when they spotted Mr Swann's Porsche. She said the car sped off and they were about to radio the force control room to tell them of a possible pursuit when they saw the car parked at the side of the road. Mr Swann got out of the driver's seat with something glinting in his right hand, the officer said. PC Voce added: "As he approached us, from the manner of driving I thought we had a burglar or a stolen vehicle. He was waving the screwdrivers, saying, 'It's not for what you think, the screwdrivers aren't for what you think'.

"He stated the cat was trapped under floorboards and he continually asked us to contact [his wife Sarah] and a call was made to a sergeant to attend the address and make sure the cat was okay. Mr Swann was very chatty and said he had been out celebrating his birthday weekend with his partner. Because he had been drinking he took a taxi home. He had had the builders in and the cat was trapped under the floorboards but he couldn't find the screwdrivers in the house so he went to Asda."

PC Voce said Mr Swann smelt so strongly of alcohol, she had to wind down the driver's side window of the police car to let in some fresh air when he was being questioned by PC Denniss.

"I would say he was drunk from his manner and his actions. He eyes looked very red," she said.

The court heard that Mr Swann, who was named England cricketer of the year in May, was "borderline" over the limit. When breath-tested, the off-spinner recorded a reading of 45 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms. Because he was just over the limit, the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club player was offered a blood test at a local police station, not far from where he was seen driving.

The court was told that a nurse was called to take the sample. A blood test found he had 83mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80mg.

Mr Swann denies one charge of drink-driving. The trial will resume on 7 October to tie in with his cricketing commitments.