Son of former Premier League forward fined and banned after drink-driving arrest outside McDonald's

Tom Huckerby, 25, of Norwich, pleaded guilty to drink driving at Norwich Magistrates' Court on Friday and was disqualified from driving for 15 months and fined £730.

Huckerby was arrested by armed officers outside a McDonald's drive-thru on Barrett Road in his hometown on July 18 after staff alerted police. Breath tests showed 63 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, nearly double the legal limit of 35. He had passed his driving test about six months earlier and was behind the wheel of his first car, a VW Polo, with a friend as a passenger.

Huckerby told the court the vehicle was suspected of being linked to a firearms offence involving a previous owner, which was why officers attending were armed. He said McDonald's staff had called police after his friend leaned over and repeatedly sounded the car horn, prompting suspicion that the pair had been drinking. Huckerby said he was shocked to find himself arrested.

A centre-back for local side Harleston Town, Huckerby previously played for Wroxham FC. He is the son of former Premier League forward Darren Huckerby, who played for Norwich City, Newcastle United and Manchester City before retiring in 2009. Darren Huckerby made 203 appearances for Norwich between 2003 and 2008, scoring 48 goals.

The court heard the circumstances of the arrest and the breath-alcohol reading before imposing the 15-month ban and fine. The legal drink-drive limit in England and Wales is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

The conviction follows previous family publicity: in 2020 Huckerby's younger brother, Benjamin, was sentenced to three years in a young offenders' institution after being convicted alongside two others of a series of robberies in Norwich city centre. At the time, Darren Huckerby issued a statement through his solicitor, saying the family were "incredibly disappointed" and hurt by his son's actions and stressing his long-standing ties to the Norwich community.

Norwich Magistrates' Court handled the case under routine procedures for drink-driving offences. Sentences for such offences vary according to the level of intoxication, prior convictions and other aggravating factors; driving disqualification and fines are common outcomes following guilty pleas where the offender's breath or blood-alcohol concentration exceeds the legal limit.

Police and court records show the matter concluded with the ban and fine after Huckerby's guilty plea. No firearms charge was brought against him in relation to the vehicle linked to a previous owner, and the investigation that prompted armed officers' attendance was not detailed in court proceedings.