Sunderland star banned from the roads

Aug 11 2009 by Linda Richards, The Journal

FLEEING at 112mph he thought he was escaping aggressive Newcastle United fans. But in fact Sunderland star Grant Leadbitter was being pursued by a police officer in an unmarked police car.

The 23-year-old midfielder had clashed with Magpies fans while on a night out with friends in Newcastle on March 7 after Sunderland’s 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at the Stadium of Light, a court heard.

To avoid a violent confrontation, he set off for home in his red BMW M6, but while driving through Gateshead he became convinced that the fans who had hurled abuse at him in the pub were following him.

When he put his foot down, the car behind accelerated. When he slowed, the car behind slowed and when he switched lanes, the other car changed lanes.

The chase which began on Askew Road continued on to the A1 Gateshead Western bypass as Leadbitter drove faster and faster.

Eventually, when Motor Patrols Sgt Lynne McKevitt reached 112mph, Leadbitter accelerated away and she struggled in her Volvo to keep up and activated her blue lights.

The Sunderland player, who has no previous motoring offences recorded against him, stopped and was relieved to find out it was a police officer. He told her he was exceeding 70mph because he thought he was being followed from Newcastle city centre.

At Gateshead Magistrates Court, Leadbitter, from Seaton, County Durham, admitted speeding but pleaded special reasons why he shouldn’t be banned or given penalty points.

The player, who signed professionally for Sunderland when he was 17, said that when he noticed her car following him, he thought it was Newcastle United fans.

“My heart was beating fast, I was scared and I wanted to get home as quickly as possible,” he said.