Drink shame for ex-Pools ace Newton
A FORMER Pools legend who was once jailed for killing a team mate in a drunken car smash has been caught drink driving again.
Former fans' favourite Bob Newton, 51, appeared before magistrates in his home town of Chesterfield earlier this week after being caught driving while almost twice the alcohol limit.
Newton was jailed for nine months in 1979 at Teesside Crown Court after crashing the car he was driving and killing his Pools team mate David Wiggett, who was a passenger.
The court heard Newton was driving his father's car when it left the road on a right-hand bend, hit a road sign, ploughed across a garage forecourt and smashed into a wall.
The centre forward admitted drink driving, but denied causing death by reckless driving. He was found guilty after a two day trial.
Newton was also given a four-month suspended prison sentence and banned for five years after admitting reckless driving at Derby Crown Court in 1986.
Newton has now been back before a court after being stopped by police while almost twice the drink-drive limit.
Newton, who was working as a lorry driver at the time, has been forced to quit his job and says he is "appalled" to find himself in court while working as a professional driver.
Magistrates in Chesterfield heard police saw Newton driving a Vauxhall Combo van from a pub car park at 6.30pm on December 4.
He failed a roadside breath test and then went on to provide a reading of 62microgrammes of alcohol in 100millilitres of breath, almost double the limit of 35microgrammes.
Newton admitted drink driving and was banned for 12 months and fined 415 with 60 costs.
Jonathan Taaffe, mitigating, said Newton had intended to leave the van at the pub and walk home. But he decided to move it after being told it could cause an obstruction the following morning.
"He's appalled to be in court as a professional driver. He didn't think he would be over the limit," added Mr Taaffe.
Newton had two spells with Pools in the 1970s and 1980s, scoring 50 goals in 161 games.
He appeared in the Mail in 1998 when he raised cash for charity by taking part in a cycling marathon to Russia.
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