Former Top Gear star Richard Hammond has been fined £999 after being caught speeding twice within 20 days. The 56-year-old television presenter was driving a Porsche when he was clocked at 68mph in a 50mph zone on December 2 last year, and a Bentley at 82mph in a 70mph zone on December 22. Both offences occurred in Herefordshire.
Court Proceedings
At Telford Magistrates' Court last week, Hammond pleaded guilty through his lawyers to two speeding charges. Magistrate Ann Minton imposed seven penalty points on his licence and ordered him to pay a total of £1,771, comprising two fines of £333 and £666, £240 in costs, and victim surcharges totalling £532.
Police Investigation
West Mercia Police pursued the prosecutions using speed camera images. Court documents reveal that police sent speeding tickets to several of Hammond's properties, including a Grade II* listed castle in Herefordshire and a farm estate near Hereford, but the letters were returned marked "addressee gone away". They eventually located him at his £2 million mansion near Abergavenny in Wales, where more than 30 vehicles are registered.
Additional Allegations
Hammond was also accused of failing to identify himself as the driver, but his solicitor wrote to the court stating he had replied by first-class post. The police withdrew those charges after he was convicted via the fast-track Single Justice Procedure.
Hammond, nicknamed "The Hamster", previously survived a 320mph jet car crash while filming Top Gear in 2006 and received a three-month driving ban in France in 2013 with co-star Jeremy Clarkson for speeding during production.
