Derby footballers Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett spared jail over drink-drive crash after Frank Lampard and Ryan Giggs give character references to court

SHAMED Mason Bennett and Tom Lawrence have avoided jail after pleading guilty to a drink-drive horror smash that left Derby teammate Richard Keogh unconscious.

Bennett, aged 23, and 25-year-old Wales star Lawrence were arrested following the crash on the A6 near Allestree, Derby, last month following a boozy night out.

Tom Lawrence arrives at court charged with drink-drivingCredit: PA:Press Association

Teammate Mason Bennett faces the same offenceCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

Police said a Range Rover Sport and a Mercedes GLC had collided

They today appeared at Derby Magistrates' Court today where they pleaded guilty to drink-driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

JPs heard Bennett gave a reading of 64 microgrammes per 100 millimetres of breath and Lawrence a reading of 58 - with the legal limit in England 35.

Both were spared jail and were instead banned from driving for two years and ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.

The players stood emotionless as they were also given a 12-month community order and costs of £85 and £90.

District Judge Jonathan Taaffe said: "You are extremely fortunate to be here today.

"You had been drinking and have been involved in a road traffic collision that could have led to death."

BOOZY NIGHT OUT

It came after Lawrence was given character references by ex-Derby and current Chelsea manager Frank Lampard and Wales boss Ryan Giggs that portrayed him as a "decent young man ".

Shocking video from the night showed Bennett, who lives just three miles from the pub, vomiting in a urinal and downing lager hours before the crash.

The dad, who has a four-year-old daughter, "thought he would be OK" as he had thrown up after being "peer pressured" into necking a Jager Bomb shot.

JPs were told Lawrence has become "quite dependent" on alcohol since the death of his mother in May and uses booze for confidence issues.

HORROR SMASH

Keogh had been travelling in Lawrence’s Range Rover when it crashed into the back of Bennett's Mercedes GLC before ending up wrapped around a lamppost.

The boozed-up pair then left Keogh unconscious in the mangled car - and were arrested when they returned to the scene 45 minutes later.

Prosecutor Marianne Connally told the court how paramedics were luckily in the area and attended to Derby captain Keogh.

He has been ruled out until the end of the season after he suffered a knee injury.

The millionaire footballers had snubbed lifts home from a night out to carry on boozing before crashing their cars, the club revealed.

Derby striker Mason Bennett vomits in a pub toilet hours before a drink-drive crashCredit: SnapChat/ Tom Huddlestone

The footballer was seen downing pints of beer in the Snapchat videoCredit: SnapChat/ Tom Huddlestone

Footage shows a Derby player slumped in his seat before the drink-drive crashCredit: The Sun

Club captain Richard Keogh is also seen in the videoCredit: The Sun

Footage posted on Snapchat by Bennett and obtained by The Sun showed the lads larking about in the bar, with midfielder Scott Malone apparently slumped asleep in his chair.

Kieran Dowell can also be seen in the group - along with Tom Huddlestone and Keogh.

Another video showed Bennett vomiting into a pub urinal and downing lager hours before the horror in Derbyshire.

A voice can be heard saying "get it all out Mas" as he's violently sick.

Players are heard mocking Bennett for only having “f***ing three pints of Peroni”.

Bennett appears to reply: “I’ve had more than three.”

Asked if he's all right, he wipes his mouth and replies: "No, put your phones away."

'LUCKY NOT TO HAVE BEEN KILLED'

A shocking picture showed Lawrence's mangled motor following the crash.

A source said at the time: “Lawrence’s car smashed into Bennett’s at a junction close to the pub, spinning him into trees. He then smashed into a lamppost.

“They were lucky not to have been killed.

“When the police turned up, Keogh was completely off his head and tried to claim his name was Alfie.
“The copper apparently told him: ‘No you’re not, you’re Richard Keogh.’”

PLAYERS FINED

Derby’s squad had gone bowling followed by a boozy dinner at the Joiners Arms, Quarndon.

The Rams blamed Keogh and a “small group” of players for “not knowing when to stop” drinking and snubbing the chance “to be driven home using cars laid on by the club”.

Derby County launched an investigation and has fined Bennett and Lawrence the maximum penalty of six weeks' wages.

Bennett later apologised for his "huge mistakes" and revealed his "shame" at his antics.