London - If he was planning on making a quiet getaway, then he probably wasn’t dressed for the occasion.
And sure enough, moments after being involved in a car crash, police caught up with rugby coach Glenn Stroud who was still behind the wheel - dressed as Rihanna.
The 43-year-old former rugby player had been drinking at a Stars In Their Eyes fancy-dress party at a rugby club, wearing a bright red curly wig, make-up and a rather fetching purple dress.
Magistrates heard that the school team coach decided to drive home still dressed in his pop star costume.
But he was seen - swerving all over the road - in his Ford Ka before crashing into an oncoming Vauxhall Corsa in the early hours of November 9.
Fortunately no one was injured in the smash. But faced with the prospect of being stopped by police in drag, the mortified Stroud decided to leave the scene.
He was quickly followed by the other driver involved in the crash. The police were called, and it was not long before the bearded coach was caught, still wearing his embarrassing outfit.
When officers pulled him over at the side of the road to take a breath test, they found that he had 86 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is just 35 milligrams.
Ian George, defending, told the court in Newport, South Wales: “One of the reasons Stroud didn’t stop immediately was because of what he was wearing.”
However, Judge Richard Williams said: “This was a calculated attempt to avoid detection. You failed to stop after a road traffic accident, the offence of failing to stop is a serious aggravating factor.”
Stroud, of Caerleon near Newport, who had been at a party at the St Julians club in the city, admitted driving under the influence of alcohol and failing to stop after a road accident.
Stroud, who works for Newport council coaching rugby at schools - and used to play for Cross Keys - was also fined £668.
Daily Mail