London - England rugby star Danny Cipriani was convicted of drunk driving on Friday after crashing his Mercedes into a taxi following a night out.
A London court heard the Wasps flyhalf,
then with Sale Sharks, was so drunk his eyes were "glazed" after the
crash on June 1, 2015 in Fulham.
The 28-year-old, who was found to be over
twice the drink-drive limit, was ordered to pay a total of $7 620 in fines and
costs and banned from driving for 18 months.
Cipriani claimed he was "shocked"
that the breathalyser was positive, despite admitting he had drunk two espresso
martinis and a glass of champagne less than an hour earlier.
"I was not drunk, I felt fine,"
he said.
His case has been long and protracted after
his lawyer, Philip Lucas, tried to get it dismissed, arguing there was not
"sufficient" evidence that the test in the police station was working
properly.
Cipriani's solicitors said he would appeal against Thursday's judgement. "Cipriani maintains his innocence and has always disputed being the cause of an accident," they said.