A scandal-plagued NRL star has fessed up to driving while his licence was suspended despite telling police he never knew he was banned from getting behind the wheel.
Wests Tigers prop Zane Musgrove was caught driving a black BMW at a busy intersection in the Sydney beachside suburb of Maroubra about 9.15pm on November 26 last year.
In court documents police said the P-plater's vehicle attracted their attention because its lights were not turned on.
After speaking with the 25-year-old a short time later, police discovered his licence had been suspended on September 14 for three months.
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Advertise with NZME.The suspension came after Musgrove was caught on camera doing less than 10km/h over the speed limit in March and June 2021.
When police undertook further checks, they discovered Musgrove's licence expired four days before he was caught driving the BMW without lights on.
In an interview with police, court documents state Musgrove confessed to knowing his licence had expired but said he had no idea why his licence would be suspended.
Another check by police revealed Musgrove had been stopped by police on November 1, 2021 due to the manner in which he was driving around Bondi.
Police said he was issued with a suspension advice on that date because he claimed he was also unaware then that his licence had been suspended back in September.
Musgrove, who played for the Maori All Stars side last year, was charged with one count of driving while his licence was suspended.
He did not appear in Waverley Local Court on Wednesday; however, a legal representative emailed the court and entered a guilty plea on Musgrove's behalf.
The incident follows a series of scandals that have plagued Musgrove in recent years.
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Advertise with NZME.In January 2021 he was arrested by police outside Sydney's Coogee Bay Hotel and handed a $550 fine for allegedly refusing to move on from the premises.
In 2018, Musgrave was charged with the indecent assault of a woman known to him over a separate incident at the same pub.
Initially found guilty and handed a 12-month good behaviour bond, Musgrove was later cleared of any wrongdoing after he successfully appealed the guilty verdict.
After pulling a gate off its hinges at his partner's friend's home in 2018, the former South Sydney Rabbitohs player received a fine and conviction which was overturned on appeal, with a conditional release order imposed instead.
Despite difficulties off the field and a lack of time on it, Musgrove signed a lucrative new three-year contract with the Tigers in 2020.
After accepting Musgrove's guilty plea for the driving charge, magistrate Jacqueline Milledge set February 22 as the date for sentencing.
