BBC star Barney Walsh in court over 97mph speeding charge
Barney Walsh, son of TV favourite Bradley Walsh and star of Casualty, has been fined for speeding. The 26 year old was reportedly caught driving his new Mercedes at a perilous speed of 97 miles per hour on the M4 near Swindon, Wiltshire, earlier in March.
The case against him was initiated when he was spotted on March 6. Despite being scheduled to appear before Swindon Magistrates Court on Tuesday (September 17), Barney Walsh did not attend to enter a plea regarding the speeding charges after he was believed to have been not been able to attend due to work commitments.
There were no solicitors present either to contest the police's assertion that he was travelling at 97 mph. Barney's legal team had written to the prosecution arguing that his speed was actually between 93 and 95 mph.
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At the hearing, Wiltshire Police, who were present, claimed that Barney was caught after speeding past a camera at approximately 4:30pm on March 6. Prosecutor Anna Hughes contended that Barney's Mercedes was clocked travelling at 97 miles per hour.
Magistrate Baker noted that regardless of the exact speed, Barney's offence fell into "exactly the same category". Nevertheless, he showed leniency towards the television personality in his judgement regarding the speeding charges.
Speeding offences like this typically result in a £2,500 fine, but the magistrate opted to reduce Barney's fine to £1,000, giving him the benefit of the doubt. He also incurred five more penalty points on his licence, bringing his total to eight.
Furthermore, Barney was instructed to pay an additional £490 in court costs. The Essex native now has 28 days to settle his dues with the court.