Former Celtic player handed jail sentence after high-speed car chase and seizure of drugs

A former Celtic player has been hit with a 15-month jail sentence over a seizure of almost €4,000 worth of cocaine and a high-speed car chase in Dublin.

Also over the limit for alcohol, Anthony Stokes drove at 160 km/h “and nearly collided with another motorist shortly after midnight on 6 January 2023” according to RTE. The former striker was handed the jail sentence at Dublin District Court and also was given a five-year driving ban after it was revealed that Stokes failed a drug test recently.

Stokes lodged €1,000 and was released on appeal bail shortly after sentence was imposed by the judge. He also entered an additional guilty plea to possessing 86 illegal street tablets in Cabinteely, south Co Dublin, around 10 days following the traffic pursuit. The judge deemed this to be an “aggravating factor, and she refused to suspend any of the sentence.”

Judge Malone had adjourned sentencing Stokes for a treatment report to prove he is off drugs. Traces of cocaine were found in his system and defence solicitor Lorraine Stephens said her client was “young, fit, and healthy and asked the judge to consider a community service order.”

Ms Stephens said Stokes had been in denial over his problems and "is trying to battle his demons.” It was also stated he could need “intensive psychological assistance” and "proper residential treatment".

Judge Malone said Stokes could have faced up to two years' imprisonment. There was credit given for his guilty pleas and sentences were imposed totalling one year and three months.

The judge then noted as the case was finalising the evidence about the nature of his driving, the speed and length of his chase, the fact Stokes was uninsured, and the low alcohol reading, and she stated that the drug offences were “very serious.” He pleaded guilty to “unlawful possession of cocaine hidden in a sock, and having the drug for sale or supply.”

Stokes started his career at Arsenal and featured for clubs south of the border like Sunderland, Sheffield United and Blackburn. His time in Scottish football started on loan at Falkirk, spending six years at Celtic between 2010-2016. He won four league titles, also spending multiple stints at Hibs plus a short-lived time at Livingston.