Champion Irish jockey (29) admits drink driving charge after crashing into a tree
Murphy, 29, appeared at Reading Magistrates' Court on Thursday afternoon, where he pleaded guilty to one count of driving a motor vehicle while over the prescribed limit of alcohol.
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He was not asked to plead on another count of failing to cooperate with a preliminary test at the roadside.
The jockey, of Beales Farm Road, Lambourn, Hungerford, was charged by postal requisition on June 19th after he drove his grey Mercedes A Class off the road and into a tree in Hermitage, Berkshire, at about 12.05am on April 27th.
He will be sentenced later on Thursday.
Murphy, who grew up in Killarney, Co Kerry, has been crowned UK champion jockey four times – in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024.
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He was among the winners at the Doncaster Racecourse Supporting Racing Staff Week Handicap last week, and rode five winners at Royal Ascot earlier in June.
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What the makers of the greatest true crime podcast did next
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The Independent
3 hours ago
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Advertisement The aerial footage and audio recordings detail a dramatic operation carried out at sea in gale-force winds and involving Ireland's joint task force on drugs interdiction, which includes the An Garda Síochána, Revenue, and the Defence Forces. The operation also involved the Coast Guard and international partners including Interpol and the Maritime Analysis And Operations Centre (Narcotics). The MV Matthew cargo vessel (Niall Carson/PA) The newly published material shows how the Panama-flagged MV Matthew entered Irish territorial waters on September 23rd, 2023, having set off from Curacao, an island off the coast of Venezuela. Unbeknownst to the crew, suspicions about its activities had been relayed to An Garda Síochána, and the drugs and organised crime bureau was monitoring the ship. 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The LE William Butler Yeats (Niall Carson/PA) When the mothership became aware of the distress call, a change of plan was ordered. Voice messages from an individual in Dubai, identified as 'Captain Noah' and who gardaí believe remains in the Middle East, show that the crew on the MV Matthew were instructed to load all cocaine into a lifeboat for a rendezvous with a different vessel – which would not occur due to the interception by authorities. Advertisement The newly released material shows the MV Matthew repeatedly ignoring instructions from Revenue and the Naval Service's LE WB Yeats. Text messages and voice notes show panicked communications within the criminal network, including the incorrect belief that the ship would not be boarded if it headed further into international waters. While trying to evade the naval service, the LE WB Yeats entered a 'hot pursuit' and – acting as a warship – fired warning shots in the vicinity of the MV Matthew. 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'Transnational organised crime groups know no borders, they prey on people's vulnerability for their own financial gain. 'People are dispensable and expendable when they are no longer of use to the criminal organisation 'Life is cheap and protecting their core criminal interest – which is money – is their key priority.' Ms Willis said all those who use drugs recreationally are funding the criminal organisations and are directly linked to the suffering inflicted on communities by the gangs. The senior garda said the sentencing of the eight men came from the 'first phase' of the operation, adding that investigators are now examining pathways to other aspects of the probe – including ascertaining the origin of the funding and financing of the intercepted shipment. She said it was the belief of investigators that several 'trans-global organisations' are involved in these types of shipments. 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