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Ipswich player caught drink driving after night out with Cambridge striker

An Ipswich Town player had been caught caught drink driving after spending a night out with a Cambridge United striker, reports confirm.

James Norwood has been banned from driving for 40 months and fined £5,000 after he was found guilty of drink-driving on a night-out with ex-U’s striker Paul Mullin.

He was driving his Audi Q8 when he was stopped by police near his home in Cockfield, eight miles south of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, at around 3am on the 30th of August, Ipswich Magistrates’ Court heard.

Officers had also been tipped off by a member of the public, according to reports. The 30-year-old was arrested after failing a roadside breath test.

He was then taken to Bury St Edmunds police station where a further breath test had him as having 58 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

Norwood had been on a night-out with footballer Paul Mullin, who he knew from their time at Tranmere Rovers.

Paul Mullin was playing for Cambridge United, when they beat League One outfit Ipswich on the 29th of August, in Cambridge, and he was lodging with Norwood at the time.

Norwood told magistrates that in the evening after the match he drove to the Aurora bar in Ipswich with Mullin, who scored 34 goals for the U’s last season but has now left the club.

Norwood said he drove “because I’ve got the nicer car”, and when asked why they chose not to take a taxi he replied: “I didn’t see myself having more than one or two.”

He said they got at the bar between 9:30pm and 10pm and each bought two pints of Birra Moretti lager while they were there, staying for around three hours.

Norwood said he drank “just under two pints”, leaving some in each glass and agreed that he and Paul Mullin met two women at the bar, Norwood drove them all back to the women’s flat and they stayed there for between 20 and 30 minutes.

After being asked if he had anything more to drink while there, Norwood said: “No, they knew I was driving.”

Prosecutor Robert Ireland questioned Norwood if he had felt “intoxicated” and the footballer replied: “No, not at all.”

Police constable Dominic Mason, the arresting officer, said Norwood was given a chance to provide a breath sample “five or six” times before successfully doing so, “suggesting the defendant wasn’t blowing”.

He did so after police officiers “warned he would be arrested if he failed to provide a sample”, Mr Mason said.

Norwood denied drink driving but was found guilty following a trial on Monday.

Presiding magistrate John Grover said of Norwood’s account of what he had to drink: “We do not find this credible.”

Mr Ireland said Norwood had a previous drink-driving conviction which came in 2012 and that an aggravating feature of the 2020 offence was that his passengers were “not only his friend Mr Mullin but also the two girls he met in Aurora bar”.

Richard Berman, for Norwood, said the striker’s take home pay was £4,000 per week and now Norwood was sentenced to a 40-month driving ban and fined £5,000.

He was also ordered to pay £750 in prosecution costs and a £190 victim surcharge.

Fans reacted as the Ipswich player is caught drink driving after a night out with Cambridge striker Paul Mullin…

@joefairs: 40 month ban and £5k fine and stands up in court and claims he only had 2 pints. Disgraceful and drags clubs name through mud. Blowing 58 after 4 hours or so without a drink – shame on Paul Mullin as well. People make mistakes, for some drink driving is a red line that should never ever be crossed which I totally get – but sometimes good people do bad things. It’s not about being holier than thou – it’s dragging this on for months and months. Hold your hands up, show contrition. And no doubt – that attitude of not showing contrition and accepting it – and presumably seen to be lying like a cheap watch from start to finish is why the ban is so long. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a driving ban of that length, especially if ‘only’ blowing 58.

@TGAF78: Joe – you are spot on. He swore under oath that he had only two pints. Of course, no one can prove otherwise but that is so far fetched.

@BonoITFC: Seeing that the sample was given on the 6th attempt after it was pointed out that failure to provide is an offence (and pretty much an automatic ban) speaks volumes.

@spud_edwards: Yeh but he can hit a golf ball really far and does Twitter bantz

@Robfarmer6: Get rid

@itfc447: Reason to terminate his contract Joe? Considering Ashtons statement on standards.

@CobboldMassive: it is disgusting behaviour if I am honest. obviously over the limit hence the reluctance to do the breath test properly. I would throw the book at him.

@leefaichney: A 40 month ban says to me – nobody believed his bullshit so had the book thrown up him. I’m of the opinion he may not be around for too much longer!

@NathanJWarren: Should be let go

@3trinitythree: Utter twat. Must have previous for same offence for that length of a ban

@kevin_hurst: Speaking as someone who has lost there licence on medical grounds this does piss me off

@bullumceech: The class act at it again 👍🏻

@EssexTractorBoy:
He can’t drive a car
He can’t drive a carrrrrr
James Norwood
He can’t drive a car
He’s getting the bus
He’s getting the busssss
James Norwood
He’s getting the bus
#itfc

@NactonNick: Bad boy

@Alan_Hillyard61: Many lose their jobs for such an offence, repeat offender as well, do we really want to be associated with such behaviour?

@wade20166338: Is Paul mullin driving him about now then

@ReverendMakeluv: Drinks all round!

@stuth67: Only got himself to blame, surely he can afford a taxi on his wages.

@dan_20smith: No excuse, he should be banned forever. Players are seen as role models by many kids. Next time he could kill someone or even one of those kids.

@GrahamG14843952: Brain dead moron. NO excuses. 😡

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