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Footballer Nathan Dyer sentenced over burglary charges

25/07/2008

Southampton footballer Nathan Dyer has been sentenced to community service after he admitted a burglary at a nightclub in February.

The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to non-dwelling burglary at Portsmouth magistrates' court on Friday and was given 60 hours' community service.

The midfielder is also to pay £392.50 in compensation to the four members of the staff at the Bar Bluu nightclub in Hampshire after £145 in cash, as well as cigarettes and mobile phones, was taken from three handbags at the club on the night of February 28th.

Police launched an investigation after two men were seen on CCTV entering an unlocked room at the venue in the early hours of the morning and Dyer and team-mate Bradley Wright-Philips were arrested and bailed in March.

Commenting on the sentence, Dyer's solicitor Mark Haslam said: "Nathan Dyer accepts that he did look through the bags, although he did not enter the room intending to do so and he did not take any property from these bags.

"While he has a successful career as a professional footballer, he is young and naive and on the evening in question he had been drinking.

"Understandably his judgement was affected by having taken alcohol. He can't explain what he did, he simply didn't think straight.

"He was being encouraged by others, he was led astray."

Mr Haslam said his client offered his "humble and profuse apologies to all those who have been distressed by this sorry enterprise".

"He has suffered public humiliation. It's a millstone that will hang around his neck for some time to come," he added.

"He has damaged his career prospects by placing himself in this position for those minutes of madness which have changed his life."

Dyer's co-accused Wright-Phillips has indicated he would plead not guilty to the same charge of non-dwelling burglary and has opted for his case to be heard by a judge and jury at the Crown Court.

He will appear before Portsmouth magistrates on September 2nd for a committal hearing.