from msn.co.uk
By Ian Dickson
September 07 2007
Jeremy Clarkson has escaped a driving ban after being accused of travelling at 82mph in a 50mph zone.
The Top Gear star was acquitted of the motoring offence after lawyer Nick Freeman, dubbed ‘Mr Loophole’ for helping a string of celebrities escape motoring conviction, intervened.
In Clarkson’s defence, Freeman said the case was ‘fatally flawed’ because Alfa Romeo could provide no evidence that it was Clarkson at the wheel of the Brera 3.2 V6 press car when it was caught on the A40 in Ruislip, west London, on October 16 last year.
Speaking outside the City of London Magistrates’ Court, Freeman said: "The summons was fatally flawed. They (Alfa Romeo) did not have any information as to who the driver was. They only had information as to who the car was loaned to. The form wasn't completed correctly. If someone had looked at this process properly it would never have come to court."
Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Michael Atkinson asked to be excused to make a phone call following an animated conversation with Nick. He returned later and told the court: "No evidence is to be offered in relation to the case." Chairman of the Bench John Newgas then dismissed the case.
Jeanette Miller, president of the Association of Motor Offence Lawyers and senior partner of Geoffrey Miller Solicitors, said: “Most magistrates would consider banning him for 56-days due to the level of speed involved, or in rare cases six points and a £1,000 fine.”
Of course, this is not the first time Clarkson has courted controversy. In July, during filming for Top Gear, the show’s presenters were accused by critics of harming the protected Makgadikgadi salt plains in Botswana, while Clarkson’s views on driving can be extreme; he once extolled the virtues of driving ‘fast and recklessly’ through Lincolnshire because it is so boring.
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