Former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has been fined £999 by magistrates after being caught speeding twice in the space of three weeks while driving his luxury cars.
The 56-year-old was driving a Porsche when he exceeded the speed limit on December 2 last year, before being caught again 20 days later while driving his Bentley.
West Mercia Police prosecuted Hammond, using speed camera footage from Herefordshire as evidence.
Court Appearance
At Telford Magistrates' Court, Hammond admitted guilt via his legal representatives and received seven penalty points on his licence. Magistrate Ann Minton ordered him to pay a total of £1,771, comprising two fines of £333 and £666, £240 in costs, and £532 in victim surcharges.
Hammond, known as 'The Hamster' by his co-stars, narrowly escaped death in a 320mph jet car crash in 2006 while filming Top Gear, and was banned from driving in France for three months in 2013 after speeding during an episode.
Speeding Incidents
On December 2 last year, a police officer using a handheld speed camera caught Hammond driving his Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo at 68mph in a 50mph zone on the A40 in Pencraig, Herefordshire. On December 22, his Bentley Continental GT was recorded at 82mph in a 70mph limit on the A50 Rudhall Overbridge in Herefordshire.
Police initially sent speeding tickets to a Grade II* listed castle bought by Hammond in 2012 and a £1 million farm estate near Hereford, but letters were returned marked "addressee gone away." Officers eventually located him at his £2 million mansion near Abergavenny in Wales, where over 30 vehicles are registered.
Hammond also faced charges for ignoring police letters and failing to identify himself as the driver, but those were dropped after his solicitor argued he had responded by first-class post. He was convicted of the speeding offences via the Single Justice Procedure.
