Birmingham striker told he's 'lucky to be alive' and handed 14-month driving ban and fine after drink-drive crash

As reported by The Independent, Ducksch escaped a potential tragedy following a late-night car crash. The 32-year-old appeared at Leamington Spa Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, pleading guilty to driving his Mercedes over the legal alcohol limit. The collision happened on Easter Monday, hours after he featured as a substitute in Birmingham’s 2-1 defeat against Ipswich Town.

The German, who arrived from Werder Bremen in August for a €2 million fee, was breathalysed with 53mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the 35mcg limit.

Chairman of the bench John Kiely stated: "You can consider yourself lucky first of all that you weren’t killed and secondly that the other drivers weren’t killed. That’s how serious this matter is."

The legal consequences for the former Borussia Dortmund player are significant. The magistrates imposed a 14-month driving disqualification alongside a total financial penalty amounting to £20,240. This includes a £16,155 fine, a £2,000 surcharge, £85 in court costs, and £1,000 each in compensation for two female drivers involved. The court allowed the striker to pay the debt in monthly instalments of £2,000. In a prepared statement, he admitted to his errors, saying he "did have alcohol before he drove" and had "clipped an oncoming car and another one following behind."

Prosecutor Lina Akther noted: "He thought he would be under the limit and the defendant was apologetic in his prepared statement."

Further details emerged regarding the moments leading up to the crash. Akther told the court: "The defendant stated to the officers that he was driving and he went to change his music and crashed and he wasn’t sure how."

He also claimed to have been avoiding a tree branch. Defence solicitor Julia Morgan highlighted that he checked on the welfare of the other drivers, one of whom suffered a nosebleed alongside injuries to her forehead and thumb.

Morgan revealed that Birmingham City have taken internal action, noting: "He has been penalised financially and further by not being permitted to play in a number of matches following this incident. That illustrates how seriously incidents of this nature are taken."

Despite the conviction, the club have provided character references describing him as a man of impeccable character. On the pitch, the forward has enjoyed a productive campaign in the Championship and domestic cups, contributing 11 goals and two assists across 36 appearances.

Moving forward, he will need to focus on rebuilding his reputation while serving his driving ban, aiming to move past this serious off-field indiscretion and continue his career.