Source: www.heraldsun.com.au
HAVING fallen asleep in the back of a taxi, Craig Moore could only have wished his Dubai ordeal last month was nothing more than a bad dream.
Instead, the nightmare was for real, with the former Socceroos captain finding himself detained in a cell only hours later facing the prospect of a jail sentence.
“The worst time was when I was in the watchhouse, because I didn’t know what was happening,” Moore said yesterday.
It followed his safe return to his Queensland base from the Gulf state, where he was fined $287 after pleading guilty to alcohol consumption under conditions not authorised by law.
Two other charges – refusing to pay a cab fare and aggression towards a police officer – were dropped after what Moore described as a “misunderstanding” was cleared up before his court appearance last week.
The 34-year-old former Brisbane Roar skipper said he had been out for drinks with friends before dozing off during his taxi ride back to his hotel.
“I’d had a few drinks after a busy day, got in a taxi and fell asleep,” Moore recalled. “Police then arrived after the taxi driver thought he wasn’t getting his money.
“Why would I have made an issue over paying a fare of $15? It doesn’t make sense.”
