February 26, 2008

When police stopped Ashley Ward, the Bradford City footballer, doing 110mph on the M56, the case looked pretty straightforward. Surely a ban was inevitable?
At the roadside, the police took his details as Ashley Stuart Ward, his date of birth, address, and profession as a professional footballer.

At the trial, Nick Freeman, his solicitor, played a trump card. He argued that the prosecution could not prove it was Ward who was actually at the wheel of the car and that somebody else could have given his details.

Freeman had told Ward to exercise his right not to attend the court hearing so the traffic officer present could not identify him. The case was thrown out.
Freeman has become famous for such clever tricks and is now a celebrity’s first port of call if they find themselves in hot water.

Jeremy Clarkson recently called upon Freeman when he failed to name the driver on a speeding ticket sent to him by Alfa Romeo. The company said he had been loaned a car which was caught by a speed camera travelling at 82 MPH in a 50 MPH zone on the A40 in Ruislip, west London, in October 2006.
Freeman argued that the prosecution’s case was ‘fatally flawed’ because Alfa only had details of who they lent the car to, not who the driver actually was.
The City of London Magistrates' Court then dismissed the charge after the prosecution offered no further evidence.

Some celebrities have instead concentrated on trying to win sympathy because they are “too famous” to lose their licence.

Ross Kemp, former Eastenders star, was caught doing 112mph in his Porsche on the M25 in Essex, and argued that, if banned, he would be forced to take public transport, and this would leave him open to abuse from fans who confused him with Grant Mitchell, his hard-man character in Eastenders. The magistrates were unimpressed. They banned him for five weeks and fined him 500 pounds – still a lighter sentence than most of us would have received!

David Beckham once managed to get a ban overturned for speeding in his Ferrari. He said he had been trying to escape from paparazzo driving a Ford Fiesta, but was clocked doing 76mph in a 50mph zone.
Beckham’s old manager, Alex Ferguson, also avoided a fine or ban for driving down the hard shoulder to avoid the traffic on the M602. Nick Freeman (yes, him again), said that Ferguson was suffering from stomach cramps and was desperate to reach the toilet.

But Freeman’s done better than that. The Telegraph reported how a police inspector’s wife got off the charge of being drunk in charge of a car despite being found slumped unconscious in the driver’s seat with an empty half-litre bottle of vodka beside her.

The Times reported how John Marmelok, a millionaire, smashed into his neighbour’s house, and was cleared after an anaesthetist instead of a police surgeon drew blood from the comatose driver.

Ones that weren't so lucky

Princess Anne was caught doing 93mph in her Bentley in 2000, down the A417 near Gloucester. Anne said that she saw the police car and thought that its flashing blue light was a signal that it was an official escort. She was fined 400 pounds and given five points.

Jay Kay, the petrol-head front-man for Jamiroquai, was banned for six months in September 2004 after being clocked driving at more than 100mph. The singer admitted driving a four-wheel-drive vehicle at 105mph on the A9 in Perthshire in February while overtaking. He was also fined £750.

Richard Wilson, actor, famous for Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave, was caught doing 101mph on the M40 in Oxfordshire in 1997.
He simply said he was late for a meeting and then told reporters: “I shall drive at 28mph on the motorway from now on".
He was fined 140 pounds and banned for two weeks.

Germaine Greer was caught speeding at 101mph and told the court it was because she needed to save her geese from a fox. She was banned for two weeks and fined 540 pounds.

Jensen Button, formula one driver, was caught doing 141mph in a BMW 330d in France in 2000. He reportedly told the police “You’re the first people to catch up with me in weeks!”
He was given a 500 pounds on the spot fine, the French Police aren't known for their sense of humour!

When Eddie Irvine was pulled over by the Italian police, for speeding, as soon as they recognised him as a Ferrari driver, they immediately stopped the bollocking and apologised, telling him he could go on his way. Perhaps if Jensen drove for Renault at that time he may have received different treatment...

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