A FORMER Nottingham Forest player has been fined £2,000 for careless driving after he "dozed off" at the wheel of his BMW and crashed after not sleeping for almost a day.
Westley Morgan, known to fans as Wes, was found guilty yesterday at Nottingham Magistrates' Court.
District Judge Morris Cooper ruled there was no case to answer on a second charge of driving whilst unfit through drink, which Morgan had denied.
Morgan, 29, a father-of-two, of Brooklands Drive, Gedling, had appeared in court in April on both charges and returned yesterday for the remainder of the evidence to be heard.
However the second part of the trial did not resume after his defence lawyer, Phillip Lucas, put forward a succession of arguments against the driving whilst unfit charge, winning his lengthy submission there was no case to answer.
Despite having four brandy and cokes – two at an awards function and two at a club – there was no evidence what effect they'd had on Morgan, his lawyer said.
At the scene of the accident there was a slight smell of alcohol, but he was steady on his feet.
The Leicester City captain told police he dozed off at the wheel, woke up and was swerving on the road.
The accident happened on May 1 last year, the court had heard, after 5am on the A46 in Bingham, on a bridge over the A52.
The BMW appeared to have collided with a barrier on the bridge.
Sergeant Dan Skoraczewski had told the court he thought the car was a write-off when he attended the scene. Morgan was in an ambulance and appeared "fine" and "slightly dazed".
"I could smell alcohol on him," he had told the earlier trial. "It was only weak. It was noticeable but it wasn't overpowering.
"I asked him if he'd been drinking and he told me he had some brandy and coke, and had been driving.
"He appeared fine. He appeared normal."
Mr Lucas said there was an accident but no damage was caused to other vehicles or property.
The likely cause of the accident was the defendant's own submission that he had not slept for more than 22 hours before driving, he added.
"The likely cause of this is the defendant nodded off briefly, went briefly on to the grass, and over corrected and lost control."
"He was tired but he did not feel sleep was overtaking him until it did and that was, unfortunately, the time when the accident occurred.
"He is a respectable, hardworking person."
As well as the fine, Morgan must pay a £15 victim surcharge and court costs. He will have five penalty points added to six points he already has on his licence for two speeding offences.
