Saints’ winger avoids jail over police chase

SOUTHAMPTON winger Fabrice Fernandes has been fined £10,000 and narrowly escaped jail for ignoring red traffic lights during a police chase.

The 24-year-old, who had spent the evening drinking vodka at a nightclub, was nearly twice the drink-drive limit in his Porsche Cayenne at the time of the pursuit in central London.

By that time the player, said to have “panicked” when pursuing officers switched on their blue lights, jumped four sets of signals, London’s Southwark Crown Court heard.