Robin Hood actor will have to give to the poor as court sentences him to charity shop work after he was caught drink-driving

  • Jonas Armstrong was ordered to do 80 hours unpaid work in a charity shop for getting into his Audi A6 while drunk
  • He was watched struggling to pay for his parking ticket on his credit card in Liverpool as he staggered around
  • He said he wasn't going to drive home and wanted to sober up in his car
  • Armstrong, 31, refused to provide a breath test at the scene
Giving to the poor: Robin Hood actor Jonas Armstrong was today told he must do 80 hours work in a charity shop after admitting drink driving

Giving to the poor: Robin Hood actor Jonas Armstrong was today told he must do 80 hours work in a charity shop after admitting drink driving

Robin Hood actor Jonas Armstrong was today ordered to give to the poor and work in a charity shop after he was caught at the wheel of his car while three-and-a-half times the drink drive limit.

The 31-year-old was told by a court he must do 80 hours unpaid work as punishment for getting into his £30,000 Audi A6 while drunk.

A car park attendant watched him on CCTV struggle to use his credit card to pay for his ticket as he staggered around in a multi-storey in Liverpool city centre.

The vehicle was then moved away from the bay while Armstrong had his ticket taken away for 'inspection' by the attendant.

The actor, who played Robin in three series' of the BBC One drama, today admitted drink driving when he appeared before magistrates in Blackpool.

Armstrong, who also stars in Prisoner's Wives, initially refused to provide police with a breath specimen at the scene.

He told them he had merely been sitting in the car with the engine on because it is 'f****** freezing'.

However, he was arrested and breathalysed at the police station. He had 127 micograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath and the legal limit is 35.

Peter Bardsley, prosecuting, said that Armstrong went into the 600 space car park after drinking heavily in the city.

The prosecutor said: 'It was 7.15pm on a Sunday and the car park attendant watched him on CCTV.

'He was struggling to use a credit card to pay for a car park ticket at an automated machine and was staggering around.

'After a few minutes he got a ticket and went back to his car. The attendant went to the car to check the ticket after informing the police about the situation. Armstrong was sat in the driver’s seat and the engine was running.

'The attendant took Armstrong’s ticket away for checking and when he returned found that the car had been moved from the bay it had been parked in.

'The police arrived and formed the opinion that Armstrong was very drunk. He was asked to provide a breath test and became hostile.'

Taking from the rich: Jonas Armstrong, who starred as Robin Hood in the BBC One series, appeared before magistrates today

Taking from the rich: Jonas Armstrong, who starred as Robin Hood in the BBC One series, appeared before magistrates today

TV star: Jonas Armstrong as Robin Hood with Marian, played by Lucy Griffiths in the BBC series

TV star: Jonas Armstrong as Robin Hood with Marian, played by Lucy Griffiths in the BBC series

He refused to answer any questions at the police station.

Armstrong, who was educated at Arnold public school and who once dated actress Sammy Winward, who plays Katie in ITV1 soap Emmerdale, has a previous conviction for being drunk and disorderly in 2010.

He first rose to fame playing the lead in the BBC’s multi-million pound hit series Robin Hood six years ago.

He is currently starring landscape gardener Ben in Sky Atlantic’s new series Hit & Miss, alongside Chloë Sevigny’s transgender contract killer Mia.

Fergal Allen, defending, said Armstrong's case had been transferred to Blackpool because his client lived in a flat on Central Beach in nearby Lytham St Annes.

Mr Allen said: 'My client wishes to apologise, he was extremely intoxicated at the time, but is adamant he did not intend to drive home from Liverpool that day.

New show: Armstrong is currently starring in Hit&Miss with Chloe Sevigny (right)

New show: Armstrong is currently starring in Hit&Miss with Chloe Sevigny (right)


'He had far far too much to drink and decided to sober up in the comfort of his own car with the heater on.

'He did not mean to be obstructive. If he was it was out of character and an act of stupidity.'

'He is a young man who has had the benefit of some success in his profession. But it is a precarious one and he is currently not working although he will be working later this year in the Bristol location.'

'He will be on location in some areas which inaccessible to public transport.'

As well as the unpaid work, Armstrong was banned from driving for six months, was put on 12 months supervision and told to pay £120 costs.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.