EastEnders' Shane Richie pleads not guilty to drink driving with trial date confirmed

EastEnders star Shane Richie has pleaded not guilty to a drink driving charge after he was arrested at a petrol station in Essex at the end of July.

The actor, best known for playing Alfie Moon on the BBC One soap across multiple stints since 2002, was taken to a police station on Wednesday, 29 July and told he had twice the amount of alcohol in his system that was legally allowed, before being granted unconditional bail at the time.

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BBC News reports that Richie appeared by a video link from a hotel room in Colchester Magistrates' Court today. He only stated his real name, Shane Roche, his address, and not guilty plea.

It was stated the charge sheet read out at court that Richie had "65 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath", far over the legal limit.

His trial date has been set and will take place on 17 November 2027, 14 months after today's plea.

The actor's solicitor, Raj Chada of Hodge, Jones & Allen, issued a statement that reads: "My client is not commenting at this time because criminal proceedings are active. We ask for his privacy to be respected while the court process takes its course."

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Shortly after Richie was arrested, it was reported that the actor had separated from his wife Christie Goddard after 19 years of marriage and that their divorce was finalised at the end of July.

Days after that, it was then reported that Richie's family home in Surrey had been put up for sale in March.

The actor has continued filming for EastEnders, as he was spotted by photographers on set for Zoe Slater's funeral scenes.

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

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