Retired All Black Dan Carter received a fine for drink driving that was just a quarter of what would normally be expected, a journalist covering the saga has revealed.
The 35-year-old, who has been playing for Racing 92 in Paris since 2016, was found to have driven his car with a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit in February.
The rugby superstar was suspended from driving for five months and lost his sponsorship deal with Land Rover - but Paris-based reporter Catherine Field says Carter was given plenty of leniency by the courts.
- Former All Black Dan Carter caught drink-driving in France
- All Black great Dan Carter opens up on his drink-driving arrest
- Dan Carter 'feels pretty sick' over drink driving charge
"It seems Dan Carter got a €1000 fine ($1682) which to be honest is at the lower end of what the judge could have given," she told NZME.
"You generally expect a €4000 ($6728) to €4500 ($7569) fine."
Ms Field says the fine handed to Carter was well-hidden, requiring her to make two applications under France's Official Freedom of Information Act and lodge an appeal to get her hands on the court document outlining it.
Earlier this year, Carter admitted he'd learned a lesson and that it'd things put into perspective.
"It's not about the punishment that the judge gives you or the fine or anything like that, it's actually the potential consequences that really hit home for you," he told the Devlin Radio Show.
"It was a really challenging time for me and my family, I felt like I let a lot of people down, but people make mistakes in their life. The most important thing is that you learn from it."
Carter confirmed last month that he is moving to Japan to play for the Kobelco Steelers at the end of the season.
Newshub.
