THE eldest son of Harry Redknapp was today fined £5,000 and banned from the road for three years after being found guilty of driving while high on cocaine.

Mark Redknapp, 49, was 15 times over the drug-drive limit two nights after he was thought to have taken the class A drug.

The day before he was caught, the father-of-four had taken part in an Easter egg hunt for his children at his parents' luxury home in exclusive Sandbanks, Poole.

Redknapp was stopped by police on Monday April 2, 2018, for driving his £50,000 Mercedes while on his mobile after visiting Harry and mum Sandra.

But officers immediately became suspicious he had taken drugs due to his 'droopy and bloodshot' eyes and by the way he was cleaning his teeth with his tongue.

A roadside swab test proved positive and a subsequent blood test found Redknapp had 749 micrograms of cocaine derivative benzoylecgonine in his system. The legal limit is 50.

Redknapp, a property developer who lives in a £2m home in Poole, denied the charges. He claimed he had never taken drugs and got his droopy eyes from his father.

His solicitor tried to claim the swab reading was also invalid as the arresting police officer waited too long for the positive reading.

One of his defence witnesses was close friend Paul Sackey, the former England rugby international.

He said he had spent the evening of Saturday March 31 at Redknapp's home drinking lager and watching Match of the Day but saw no sign of drug taking.

But sitting at Poole Magistrates' Court, district judge Stephen Nichols today found Redknapp guilty of driving a vehicle while over the specified drug limit.

He told him he rejected his version of events and was sure he had consumed cocaine.

Redknapp, the older brother of ex-Tottenham and England footballer Jamie, sat with his head in his hands as the guilty verdict was delivered.

Judge Nichols said: "I am satisfied that I am sure that Mr Redknapp did consume cocaine. I reject his evidence that he did not use cocaine.

"The court is therefore certain that Mr Redknapp is guilty of the offence of driving a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs."

He said he took into consideration the length of the trial and the affect the publicity surrounding the case had on the defendant's family.

As well as the hefty fine Redknapp, who was convicted of drink driving in 2010, was also ordered to pay court costs of £2,500.

Afterwards Redknapp, who wore a Peaky Blinders-style flat cap, left court with wife Lucy, 38, without making comment.

The court heard that Redknapp's grey Mercedes C63 saloon was stopped by police in the affluent Canford Cliffs area of Poole at 8pm on April 2 last year.

Arresting officer PC Andrew Fitzpatrick said he spoke to Redknapp about using his mobile phone at the wheel.

He then went to the car to get his book to issue him with a fixed penalty notice while PC Alex Kimmins spoke to the defendant.

PC Kimmins said: "I went to speak to him from the front passenger seat to avoid traffic.

"When I looked at him I identified some concerns which gave me suspicion to believe he was driving under the influence of a substance.

"His eyelids were very droopy and he was using his tongue to clean the inside of his mouth and teeth."

PC Fitzpatrick said during the 12 minutes they waited for the result of the swab he struck up a conversation with the defendant about his father.

He asked him what Harry was up to and whether he might get back into football.

After being arrested, Redknapp was taken to Bournemouth police station where he was stripped searched.

Giving evidence, he claimed PC Kimmins had taken an instant dislike to him.

Phillip Lucas, defending, argued that the swab test was invalid as PC Kimmins waited four minutes too long for the result.

He said that had she checked it after the recommended eight minutes the reading was clear but was positive at 12 minutes.

He also claimed his client's blood tests may have been contaminated with another sample while at the police lab.

Lucy Redknapp, Redknapp's wife of 12 years, said she did not believe her husband had taken drugs before he was pulled over.

In a statement she said: "On March 31st, his friends came over and they watched the boxing.

"I told him not to stay up too late as we were going to his parents for an Easter egg hunt the next day.

"Mark does not associate with people who do drugs.

"On April 2 Mark's eyes were no different to any other day.

"He has baggy eyes like his father. It is hereditary and it seems our boys have inherited the same condition.

"I do not believe Mark took drugs if he had I would have called his mum."