Swann cleared of drink-driving

Graeme Swann has been found not guilty of drink-driving, as his trial came to an end at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

Swann, who is currently on paternity leave before linking up with his England team-mates ahead of their World Cup opener against Netherlands on February 22, was stopped near his home in West Bridgford shortly after 3.00am on April 2 last year, as he drove a white Porsche Cayenne towards a local supermarket, having arrived home to find his cat trapped under the floorboards.

During his original trial in August, Swann admitted to having drunk three or four glasses of white wine to celebrate his birthday, and was alleged to have told the arresting officer, PC Steven Denniss, he "shouldn't have probably been driving", when pulled over for driving a high-performance car in an area beset by a spate of recent burglaries.

The second of two blood samples showed that Swann had 83mg of alcohol in 100ml, which is over the legal limit of 80mg. However District Judge Julia Newton said that it had not been proven that the sample could be used as evidence, after Dr John Mundy, a forensic alcohol consultant, told the court on Tuesday that it was possible the sample had been contaminated.

Swann showed little reaction as the judge delivered her not-guilty verdict, and was later asked by reporters if he would be fit for the World Cup, after flying home from Australia with a back problem. "Getting there," he replied. "It's a bit stiff but I've had a lot of physio."