Jockey who missed his court date fined £960

The 31-year-old had just completed his third race at Wolverhampton when West Midlands police officers arrived at the course.

The arrest on Monday was on behalf of North Yorkshire Police after Gibbons failed to attend Scarborough Magistrates’ Court last week.

He had been due to appear on a charge of being drunk and disorderly in Norton, Malton, on April 8.

Gibbons, of Wetwang, between York and Bridlington, was fined £960 by Scarborough magistrates late on Tuesday after spending the night and morning in the cells.

The father-of-two was also ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £96 victim surcharge after admitting being drunk and disorderly and failing to answer his bail.

Ian Brickman, defending, said: “He had been to a point-to-point at Whitwell-on-the-Hill and went drinking in Malton.

“He was found in an area of some flats in Castlegate, Malton.”

Mr Brickman told the court his client could not “remember much about it” having been found in an “extremely intoxicated state”.

“He was obviously very sorry,” he said. “Because of his level of income he was given a heavy fine.”

He added that Gibbons had failed to answer his bail due to racing commitments and then been “embarrassed” by his very public arrest.

Gibbons has ridden for several North Yorkshire trainers, including Middleham-based Karl Burke and Mick Easterby, from Sheriff Hutton.

Earlier in Monday’s meeting Gibbons had won on Singzak, for Easterby, and Off The Pulse, trained in Derbyshire by John Mackie.