On 21 November last year, David Beckham, 43, was spotted and photographed in Great Portland Street in central London, driving while speaking on his phone. Beckham was in the US when the police tried to contact him and pleaded guilty to the charge by post. The hearing was set to be held at Lavender Hill Magistrate’s Court, but needed to be moved so the former Football legend could return to England attend.

David Beckham arrives at court

A smartly dressed Beckham was in the Bromley Magistrate’s Court today for sentencing to be passed and it turns out he already had six points on his licence.

As reported by ITV News, Beckham climbed out of a black car outside the court and walked past several waiting photographers with a serious expression on his face. No doubt his expression was even more serious when he left the court, having been banned for driving for six months.

Former England captain expressionless in court

The Daily Star reports that Beckham showed no reaction as District Judge Catherine Moore passed down the sentence. Judge Moore asked for former football legend to stand and told him that she did take into account that the traffic was slow moving at the time, but that this was no excuse. The fact that he did this with six points already on his licence firmly pushed him over the edge into an instant disqualification from driving.

The judge said driving while talking on a mobile creates a risk to others, no matter how slowly the traffic is moving and she went on to disqualify him from driving a car or motorcycle for six months.

Besides the ban, Beckham also got hit with a £750 fine. He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs in the sum of £100 and a £75 surcharge fee, both of which need to be paid within the next seven days.

Member of the public spotted Beckham on phone

As reported by the London Metropolitan Police in an earlier statement, a member of the public had made the allegation on 21 November 2018 that they had seen a 43-year-old male using his mobile phone while driving in Great Portland Street.

At that time, the police said the 43-year-old man had been sent a notice of intended prosecution, but Beckham was not named at that time.

According to prosecutor Matthew Spratt, the concerned member of the public had photographed Beckham speaking on his phone in slow-moving traffic. Spratt added that instead of looking straight ahead and paying attention to the road, Beckham appeared to be looking down at his lap. The prosecutor added that the witness said the defendant was using a handheld device at knee level when the image of Beckham was taken, showing the mobile phone in his hand in an upright position.

Mobile phone incident comes shortly after speeding case

Beckham was spotted speaking on his mobile phone while driving less than eight weeks after a speeding case against him had been dismissed in court. The incident had happened in January 2018, where Beckham was accused of driving at 59 mph in a 40 mph zone. However, Beckham’s lawyer, Nick Freeman (who reportedly has the nickname “Mr Loophole”) managed to get the speeding charge dismissed due to a technicality.

“Mr Loophole” was not acting for the former Manchester United midfielder in his more recent mobile phone case. His lawyer, Gerrard Tyrrell, told the court his client was driving slowly and had no recollection of the particular incident or the day that it happened. However, Tyrrell did admit that there was no excuse for his client’s actions and this is why Beckham decided to plead guilty at the time.
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