Dean Windass: My drink-driving shame

HULL City legend Dean Windass has spoken of his shame and regret after crashing his car when three times over the drink-drive limit.

It comes just ten months after Windass revealed he had twice tried to kill himself as he struggled to cope with depression.

He will now face magistrates on Monday, where he faces losing his licence for between two to three years, and a heavy fine.

• UPDATE: Dean Windass handed driving ban

Windass admits he had been drinking both before and after attending City's home clash with Blackpool at the KC Stadium last Tuesday.

He says he cannot explain his decision to drive back home to his flat near Leeds afterwards.

Windass crashed his car about 15 minutes from home, having fallen asleep at the wheel, and smashed into a parked car.

Coming at a time when he has recently started a new job at a Hull company and at a point when he had felt he was turning his life around, he admits he has again let himself – and those that love him – down.

"I am gutted and so disappointed with myself as I am the first person to have a go at people who drink and drive," Windass said.

"Now I have been caught and I am a hypocrite. I have let my kids down again and I have let everybody down. I know I could have killed someone and I could have been heading to prison.

"I have been lucky. It was fortunate that nobody has been hurt and now I will accept whatever punishment the judge hands out to me."

Windass, 43 spent a month in rehab earlier this year after battling alcohol and depression.

He had twice tried to take his own life after the sudden death of his father and the collapse of his 18-year marriage to wife Helen.

Despite saying he remains "up and down" to this day, Windass says there is no excuse for his behaviour.

He insists he no longer has a drink problem. Now working on commission for Quality Fixing Supplies in Hull, he felt he had finally brought some order back to his life.

"Things had been going well and I have had a lot of support from people, especially here at Quality Fixing Supplies, who gave me a job," Windass said.

"It was going really well and I was really enjoying it and I feel I've let them down.

"I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me. I have to be big enough to take the punishment.

"This is smell the coffee time. I could have killed myself and I could have killed somebody else.

"That is what scares me. I am so thankful nobody was hurt, as if anybody was drink-driving and killed my kids, I'd want them strung up."

Recalling the night of his accident, Windass told how he had sat in the stands at the KC with a stranger he met in a pub before the game.

"I had been working and I had a couple of drinks after work on the way to the game. I had a couple of drinks afterwards as well, and then drove home," he said.

"I was 15 minutes away from home and I fell asleep at the wheel and hit a parked car on the side.

"I was just heading up towards my flat and I hit the car and just woke up with the air bags in my face. I was three times over the limit. I can't explain why I drove. There has been a lot going on in my head and when you have a drink it takes it away.

"You feel ok. That's the thing, you feel as though you are all right.

"I won't be the first or the last to do it but that makes no difference. This is about me and I have let myself down just as I had started to get myself back on track."

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