England cricket ace Freddie Flintoff has avoided a driving ban after being caught speeding in his luxury Mercedes Benz.
Flintoff had earlier been caught travelling at 58mph in a 40mph zone of the A34 in Cheadle, Cheshire.
He has had a chequered driving career, with a number of court appearances, all of which have been for speeding.
When he appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court for this recent offence, he already had 6 points on his driving licence. Were the Magistrates’ to give him 6 points he would have faced a driving ban.
However, following mitigation he received 4 penalty points, a £500 fine with a £50 victim surcharge and £80 costs.
Lucy Amos, a spokesman for road safety charity Brake said after the case: “It is right to be concerned about speeding on our roads – speed is a factor in a vast number of devastating road crashes and remains one of the biggest killers on Britain’s roads.
“Speed limits exist to stop crashes that lead to death and serious injury, and we all have a responsibility to obey them. A strong message must be sent to those who break these limits and the option of a ‘last chance’ undermines vital traffic laws.”
It is no surprise that a court appearance of Freddie Flintoff should attract media attention, however, his case was secretly moved to another courtroom without the press being told of the change.
The court also refused to give the name of the presiding Magistrate until staff gave in under what must have been heavy press encouragement.
