The Gladiators star didn’t seem in court docket for the decision.
A Gladiators star has been banned from driving following an incident final 12 months (Picture: BBC)
BBC star Barney Walsh has been banned from driving for six months after he was caught breaking a short lived 50mph pace restrict on a motorway in South Gloucestershire. The 28-year-old Gladiators presenter, who additionally stars within the broadcaster’s long-running medical drama Casualty, was caught driving at 58mph in a 50mph stretch of the M4 in his 2023 black Mercedes-Benz SUV on October 27 final 12 months.
Nevertheless, Barney did not attend the listening to as “work commitments” had “taken him out of England in the intervening time,” his solicitor, Gwyn Lewis, knowledgeable the court docket. Mr Lewis, who had been instructed by Barney to signify him, advised the court docket that Mr Walsh had accrued 9 factors, which means a disqualification was “inevitable”.
He advised the court docket: “I am not instructed to withstand the disqualification and he has been advised he’s not to drive from final evening.” Walsh had beforehand pleaded responsible to a single rely of exceeding a short lived 50mph pace restriction on a motorway.
Barney Walsh has been banned from driving for six months (Picture: Getty)
The actor was noticed on the wheel of a 2023-plate Mercedes and was ready to enter a responsible plea for driving “between 93mph and 95mph.” Walsh’s authorized staff disputed claims that he had been travelling at 97mph.
On the time, presiding Justice of the Peace Mark Baker branded the TV presenter as “boastful” and criticised him for failing to attend his listening to in particular person voluntarily. It’s understood he was unable to attend on account of filming commitments, which had been permitted by the court docket.
Baker stated: “We discover this slightly bit boastful that this plea is coming from a agency representing Mr Walsh when he was summoned to seem right here. However he has not appeared and nor have his representatives. Different folks at the moment have made nice efforts to get right here from appreciable distances, but Mr Walsh appears to assume that he doesn’t want to seem.” The star had the choice of pleading by publish, which he accepted.
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He added: “Some folks appear to assume they don’t want to show up, but when they’re summoned they’re anticipated to.” Prosecutor Anna Hughes revealed that Wiltshire Police noticed the star’s Mercedes GLC 300 pace previous a manned digicam on the M4 at 4.30pm on March 6, 2024. Though officers recorded Walsh’s pace at 97mph, his authorized staff contended he was travelling at between 93mph and 95mph. Whereas comparable dashing offences to Barney’s prior conviction carry a wonderful of £2,500, the Justice of the Peace lowered his penalty to only £1,000, with 5 further factors added to his licence.
This introduced his total tally to eight factors. Within the UK, drivers at present face shedding their licence ought to they accumulate 12 or extra factors inside a three-year interval. Walsh was additional ordered to pay £490 in court docket prices and given simply 28 days to settle the excellent quantity.
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