Former Celtic and Scotland footballer caught drug driving
The 27-year-old was driving a red Ford Focus near Avenue End Road.
When she stopped, officers noted her to be nervous and fidgety.
They instructed her to give a sample of saliva, which she did shortly after 2pm.
This was positive for cocaine, so Whyte was arrested.
She was taken to Coatbridge police station.
Around 2.43pm, the Hogganfield resident also provided a blood sample, which was sent for analysis.
On July 8, 2024, the result came back and was also positive for cocaine.
READ NEXT: Seven cases from Glasgow Sheriff Court this week
Whyte appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court today, after she pleaded guilty to driving while the amount of cocaine in her blood was 32 microgrammes in one litre of blood.
She also admitted to having driven while the level of Benzoylecgonine - a primary metabolite of cocaine - was 800 microgrammes in one litre of blood.
These are both over the legal limit.
At the hearing, Whyte's lawyer said: "Addiction is a fairly significant issue. She was a very talented footballer, representing Celtic and Scotland, before she has a serious injury.
"That sent her into chaos. This is a bad coping mechanism."
Sheriff Patricia Pryce said: "She has been clean for some time. There is no scope for addiction support."
The solicitor agreed.
Sheriff Pryce told Whyte: "It's by the skin of your teeth that I am able to deal with this without custody.
"I appreciate you had a difficult time but you're putting road users at risk when you do this."
She was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work, to be completed within eight months and disqualified from driving for three years.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Ex-Celtic & Scotland player caught driving on cocaine after injury ‘sent them into chaos'
She was told she avoided jail by 'the skin of your teeth' IN THE DOCK IN THE DOCK Ex-Celtic & Scotland player caught driving on cocaine after injury 'sent them into chaos' AN ex-Celtic and Scotland footballer has been spared jail after being caught driving while on cocaine. Courtney Whyte, 27, was sentenced at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday this week. 1 Whyte appeared in court in Glasgow Credit: Alamy The Herald report that Whyte was stopped by cops on April 13 last year in the East End of the city. She was asked to give a sample of saliva which tested positive for cocaine. Whyte was subsequently arrested and taken to Coatbridge police station. A blood sample also returned a positive result for cocaine. Whyte represented Celtic in the SWPL and was capped internationally at youth level by Scotland. She also played for Glasgow City and Motherwell. Appearing in court, Whyte pleaded guilty to driving with cocaine in her blood. The former top flight footballer's lawyer told the court that a serious injury that had affected Whyte's football career had "sent her into chaos." The lawyer said: "Addiction is a fairly significant issue. "She was a very talented footballer, representing Celtic and Scotland, before she has a serious injury. "That sent her into chaos. "This is a bad coping mechanism." Sheriff Patricia Pryce sentenced Whyte to 200 hours of unpaid work to be completed within eight months. She's also been disqualified from driving for three years. Sheriff Pryce told Whyte she had avoided a custodial sentence "by the skin of your teeth." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'My wife and five kids were killed at home - I still don't know what happened'
Dr Abdul Shakoor and his family were fast asleep at home in Harlow when suddenly their property was set ablaze. The father attempted to rescue his wife and five children, but they all tragically died It's been 13 years since Dr Abdul Shakoor devastatingly lost his wife and five children in a house fire, and the murder investigation, called Operation Shakespeare, still remains unsolved. On the night of October 15, 2012, at 1.40 am, the Shakoor family were sound asleep in their terraced home in Barn Mead, Harlow, when a blaze took over the ground floor. Around the same time, a silver Ford Focus was also set alight, alarmingly close to the house fire. Their residence was rapidly consumed by flames and smoke. In a desperate bid to alert others and get help for his family, Dr Shakoor managed to leap from an upstairs window. He landed on a car parked below and attempted to re-enter his home with a neighbour to rescue his beloved family. He suffered minor burns as he battled to free his family, but tragically, the fire spread too quickly and his wife and their five children did not survive. Dr Shakoor's wife, Dr Sabah Usmani, 44, and sons Sohaib, 11, Rayyan, six, and daughter Hira, 13, were killed in the house fire, while his son, Muneeb, nine, and daughter Maheen, three, died later in hospital. At first, it was suspected arson, but after a laptop bag was found at a nearby estate that contained photos belonging to the family, a murder investigation was launched. Detectives also said that a burglary had taken place at the house on that fateful day, believing it to be the same person who could have set their house on fire. However, to this day, police have yet to find the culprit responsible. On a BBC podcast, Who Killed the Shakoors?, 13 years later, claims were made about how forensic evidence was gathered from the scene. Fire investigator David Hajakostas examined the scene at the house but raised concerns about the cordoned areas where vital evidence needed to be collected. He said on the podcast: "There was an outer and inner cordon in place... but when I arrived, there were people inside the outer cordon who shouldn't have been there." Ian Peck, from Prometheus Forensic Services, reviewed the scene of the fire at the time but spoke of his own concerns on the BBC podcast regarding how evidence was preserved. He criticised how some evidence was packaged and said, "If it had come to me for analysis, I probably would've rejected it." Further concerns were raised, but Essex Police told the BBC podcast that "heat damage significantly compromised forensics. Items were examined on scene before being moved and no accelerants were detected." Dr Shakoor also appeared on the podcast and spoke of his unimaginable loss and the heartache he faces every day, not knowing who is behind the devastating fire that saw him lose his beloved family. On the podcast, he said: "I'm really shocked because I never thought they wouldn't have done it properly. We have put our own trust in them. But when you hear these sort of things, really, it gives a very shocking feeling of dismay." Dr Shakoor, who is originally from Pakistan, added: "When we came to England, we thought it is the most safest country. We felt really safe and then that thing happened. "But when we hear something like that, so it really brings some waves of shock, feeling of helpless, you know. We are waiting for a long time, it has an impact on not only myself, but as a community." Speaking about the case last year, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Dr Shakoor lives with the unimaginable pain of losing his entire family; a wife who he had planned to grow old with; children who he imagined growing up and going on to do great things. But that future was taken from him exactly 12 years ago. For 12 years, no one has faced justice for what happened but I remain committed to changing that." She continued: "I have met with Dr Shakoor and I see his unwavering determination to see someone – or some people – held accountable for his family's deaths. I am committed to doing all we can to give him that." DCI Metcalfe added that "no case is ever closed."
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Glasgow Times
Former Celtic and Scotland footballer caught drug driving
Courtney Whyte was spotted by police officers just after 1pm on April 13, last year, on Stepps Road in the East End. The 27-year-old was driving a red Ford Focus near Avenue End Road. When she stopped, officers noted her to be nervous and fidgety. They instructed her to give a sample of saliva, which she did shortly after 2pm. This was positive for cocaine, so Whyte was arrested. She was taken to Coatbridge police station. Around 2.43pm, the Hogganfield resident also provided a blood sample, which was sent for analysis. On July 8, 2024, the result came back and was also positive for cocaine. READ NEXT: Seven cases from Glasgow Sheriff Court this week Whyte appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court today, after she pleaded guilty to driving while the amount of cocaine in her blood was 32 microgrammes in one litre of blood. She also admitted to having driven while the level of Benzoylecgonine - a primary metabolite of cocaine - was 800 microgrammes in one litre of blood. These are both over the legal limit. At the hearing, Whyte's lawyer said: "Addiction is a fairly significant issue. She was a very talented footballer, representing Celtic and Scotland, before she has a serious injury. "That sent her into chaos. This is a bad coping mechanism." Sheriff Patricia Pryce said: "She has been clean for some time. There is no scope for addiction support." The solicitor agreed. Sheriff Pryce told Whyte: "It's by the skin of your teeth that I am able to deal with this without custody. "I appreciate you had a difficult time but you're putting road users at risk when you do this." She was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work, to be completed within eight months and disqualified from driving for three years.
