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Michael Phelps avoids jail time after drink driving arrest

Published 20:47 19 Dec 2014 GMT

Updated 20:49 19 Dec 2014 GMT

Darragh Murphy
Michael Phelps avoids jail time after drink driving arrest

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Michael Phelps has received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to driving while under the influence of alcohol.

The Olympic legend was arrested in late September after being pulled over for driving carelessly before police clocked the swimmer's blood alcohol level at 0.14 (0.08 is the limit in Maryland). But at today's sentencing, the 29-year-old was slapped with a year's suspended sentence and ordered to abstain from alcohol during an 18-month probation period. Phelps is currently attending Alcoholics Anonymous and has already successfully completed a 45-day inpatient treatment course. The owner of 18 Olympic gold medals addressed the judge by saying: "I now have the tools to move past this. What I did was wrong, and I made a bad mistake. "I'm looking forward to having a much brighter future than I had in the past." "You don't need a lecture from the court," the judge said. "If you haven't gotten the message by now, or forget the message, the only option is jail."  

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