Russell Brand has pleaded guilty to a string of driving offences (Image: Getty Images)
has pleaded guilt to a series of driving offences, including speeding.
The controversial comic was caught driving his Mini at 95mph on the M4 motorway on June 16 last year near Slough in Berkshire, breaking the 70mph limit.
He also drove the Mini at 37mph in a 30mph zone in Shiplake, near his home in Oxfordshire on March 23, High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court heard.
The 49-year-old actor, who did not attend the short hearing, was slapped three penalty points for the 37mph breach, and an addition five points for the 95mph speeding on top of the three points he already has on his license.
District Judge Arvind Sharma fined him a total of £3,457 for the offences after the guilty pleas were submitted by his lawyer. As recently reported, the former Radio 2 presenter hired Nick ‘Mr Loophole’ Freeman’s law firm to represent him in the magistrates court hearings.
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The comedian failed to appear in court for the hearing (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
In November, Brand was charged with two allegations of speeding as well as two counts of failing to tell the police if he or someone else had been driving the vehicle.
In court papers obtained by in relation to one of the speeding charges and one allegation of faling to answer a police letter, it was said a Mini registererd to the actor was caught allegedly going 37mph in a 30mph zone near his Oxfordshire home. His lawyer asked for no pleas to be entered against any of the charges.
The soliticor wrote on October 10: “We would respectfully request that the Single Justice take no pleas at this stage and that the cases be listed for a mention hearing so that representations can be made to the police in relation to a swift resolution of the matter.
“Should the court not be satisfied with no pleas being entered then we would ask for a preliminary not guilty to be taken for ALL FOUR charges.
“We would ask that a trial date is not fixed and that the case is listed for either mention or case management hearing.” According to the outlet, the case came before a magistrate sitting on October 25, with no pleas being recorded. The cases were postponed to a future date.
It comes after the star was refused planning permission to convert his historic pub into offices with a recording studio after more than 50 neighbours complained.
Brand had submitted plans for The Crown Inn pub in Pushill, near Henley-on-Thames to be transformed into offices. But furious villagers kicked up a fuss as they feared losing their “popular watering hole” with a total of 53 objections submitted.
The application to convert the pub, which he bought in 2020, was submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council in November last year.
But it was laer refused by the council after planners said Mr Brand’s agents had failed to provide information that The Crown Inn is economically “unviable” as a business. If proven, this could have cleared teh way for its conversion.