‘I have let a lot of people down’ – Champion jockey apologises for drink-driving

By Mathilde Grandjean, PA

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy has apologised after a judge fined him £70,000 (€81,000) for crashing a car into a tree while drink-driving earlier this year.

Murphy, 29, drove his grey Mercedes A-Class off the road and into a tree in Hermitage, West Berkshire, at about 12.05am on April 27th.

He was also banned from driving for a period of 20 months after pleading guilty at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to one count of driving a motor vehicle while over the prescribed limit of alcohol.

Murphy, who was with a passenger at the time, published a statement on Thursday evening in which he apologised for the offence.

“I would like to sincerely apologise for my actions,” he wrote.

“I know that drink driving is unacceptable and there is no excuse for what I did.

“I have let a lot of people down. I particularly want to apologise to my passenger and her family.

“I have so far been able to share only minimal details of my offence with the British Horseracing Authority as a result of the police investigation.

“I will now be fully co-operative with their enquiries.

“It would not be appropriate for me to comment further until that process is concluded.”

Murphy, of Beales Farm Road, Lambourn, Hungerford, was taken to hospital after the crash, along with his passenger.

He was later discharged to take a breathalyser test at a police station at about 7am, which showed a reading of 66mg per 100 millilitres of breath.

This meant he was “just shy of twice above the drink-driving limit” at the time of driving, prosecutor Richard Atkins told the court earlier on Thursday.

Murphy – who rode five winners at Royal Ascot last month – received a £70,000 fine, with a £2,000 surcharge and £85 in costs.

The figure was calculated based on his annual earnings, which the court heard are in the region of £250,000 a year, in addition to a weekly salary of £1,250.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said Murphy will remain free to continue riding, but new conditions are likely to be added to his licence as a result of his conviction.

“Everyone at the BHA, like all involved in our sport, is disappointed today having learned the details of the offence to which Oisin Murphy has pleaded guilty,” a spokesperson for the BHA said in a statement.

“This is a very serious offence that, in the course of being committed, saw Mr Murphy jeopardise not only his own safety but that of his passenger and all other people travelling on the roads at the same time as him that night.

“His conduct fell a long way short of the standard we expect of all licensed individuals, in whom we place trust that they will represent our sport to the best of their abilities, upholding our collective reputation and ensuring racing is a safe place for all.

“In light of Mr Murphy’s guilty plea and the information revealed in court today, we will be working on the addition of new conditions on his licence that may be referred to the Licensing Committee for their consideration.

“As has been the case in recent weeks, Mr Murphy remains free to take up his riding engagements.”

The BHA added: “We will issue an update on this process in due course and will be making no further comment at this time.”