Newcastle's Cheick Tioté escapes prison sentence after using fake driving licence worth €15,000

According to a recent survey by Dirty Tackle, approximately 101% of Premier League football players had their driving licences suspended for either speeding or not having a licence and insurance (the error rate was 1%).

Cheick Tioté is the latest player to attempt to circumvent the road rules. Newcastle Crown Court has given him a seven-month suspended sentence for attempting to exchange a fake Belgian driving licence for a genuine British one. According to The TelegraphNewcastle's Ivorian midfielder paid a man he met at Brussels airport 15,000 euros ($20,600) for a driver's license, and he would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those pesky DVLA (DMV) agents who are paid to spot extremely expensive fake legal documents.

The Telegraph has further details from the skateboard legend, who acted as prosecutor:

Prosecutor Tony Hawks said the Ivory Coast international met a man near Brussels airport while passing through Belgium and gave him cash and a photograph of himself.

He then tried to send it to the DVLA in Swansea with an application for British registration.

“The driver's license was a very good fake, but there were a number of features that indicated it was a fake,” Hawks said.

“The offence is aggravated by his act in attempting to convert base metals into gold.”

By pleading guilty, Tioté was able to avoid an immediate prison sentence, but he must now complete 180 hours of unpaid community work in addition to a total fine of £4,495 ($7,200). The 27-year-old may need up to a day to earn the money back.

Curiously, the Newcastle star also received six points in Flensburg, although he clearly has none.

If the court Really They should have punished him, cut off his community service and instead forced him to carpool to work every day with Joe Kinnear.

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