Sunderland footballer Lee Cattermole cautioned for car damage

Sunderland footballer Lee Cattermole has accepted a conditional caution for damaging five vehicles in Newcastle.

The Premier League midfielder will also reimburse owners affected by his actions in Stowell Street on 6 December.

The 24-year-old, from Ponteland, was originally charged with five instances of criminal damage.

Magistrates were due to hear the case in May, but now he has accepted the caution it will not go ahead.

Clare Donaldson, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "By accepting the conditional caution at this stage, he has also accepted his guilt in relation to all five vehicles, something that may have taken significantly longer for us to prove in court.

"While a prosecution was initially considered in this case, the appropriate use of a conditional caution has ensured that reparations have been made, not only swiftly, but also on a scale that may have otherwise been difficult to ensure."

He was originally charged with team-mate Nicklas Bendtner, but the case against him was dropped in March.

Lee Cattermole, originally from Stockton, started his career with Middlesbrough and joined Sunderland on a £6m transfer from Wigan Athletic in 2009.