Former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff has been spared a driving ban after his fourth speeding offence in three years.
The Telegraph reported on 28 August that he was photographed by a speed camera travelling at 87mph on the M6 in Cumbria in January this year. At the time, he already had nine penalty points on his driving licence and would have been due to receive an automatic driving disqualification when a further three points were added.
But his solicitor told Carlisle magistrates that a driving ban would have a significant impact on Mr Flintoff’s extensive charity work and his three children, whom he regularly drove to school and sports activities.
The cricketer was fined £330 with £85 court costs and a £30 victim impact surcharge. He was given a further three penalty points on his licence but avoided a disqualification after magistrates accepted he would be caused exceptional hardship
Jeremy Sirrell, Palmers’ road traffic offence specialist, said: “Exceptional hardship must go beyond simply causing someone inconvenience through the loss of their licence by having – as the name suggests – an exceptional impact on their life, to the extent of severely affecting someone’s employment or livelihood.
“The individual circumstances in each case will vary so robust and specific evidence is necessary to demonstrate why the driver should not be disqualified. For more information on how Palmers can assist, please contact us.”