Danny Guthrie: Ex-footballer bankrupt over £120k gambling debt

Danny Guthrie was part of the Newcastle United team relegated from the Premier League in 2009

Former footballer Danny Guthrie has been declared bankrupt after he racked up £120,000 in gambling debts.

The 35-year-old started at Liverpool before playing for Bolton, Newcastle, Reading, Blackburn and Walsall.

In May 2019 he borrowed £75,000 from a friend to pay his expenses, promising to repay the loan after selling a home.

But before that he ran up the gambling debts, and when he sold the property in 2020 for £160,000, he chose to repay those debts ahead of other creditors.

As a member of the Blackburn side he was relegated to League One in 2017

The Insolvency Service said he did this "by making several cash withdrawals despite knowing he was insolvent".

Guthrie, whose last-known address was listed as Damac Towers in Dubai, accepted a six-year bankruptcy order until May 2028 at Stoke County Court.

It means he is under a number of restrictions, including not being able to borrow more than £500 without disclosing his bankrupt status, and he cannot act as a company director without the court's permission.

Guthrie (left) finished at Walsall in February 2021

Insolvency Service official receiver Kevin Read said: "Danny Guthrie's actions were deliberate in dissipating assets, at a time he was already insolvent, and to the loss of his creditors.

"This extension of bankruptcy restrictions should serve as a warning that the Insolvency Service will take action to tackle such financial wrongdoing."

Guthrie also had spells at Southampton, Fulham, Mitra Kukar in Indonesia and Icelandic second tier team Fram.