The ex-footballer, who was caught going 59mph in a 40mph zone along the A40 while driving a rented Bentley, got off on a very small technicality, spotted by lawyer Nick Freeman who’s long earned himself the nickname of Mr Loophole.
The technicality? The speeding notice arrived a day late.
The speeding notice was meant to arrive with Bentley within 14 days of Beckham speeding, but thanks to a snail-paced postal service, it landed on their (presumably) gilt-edged doormat on the 7th of February rather than the 6th. Because of this, it wouldn’t have been right - lawfully - to continue with the prosecution.
District Judge Barbara Barnes said ‘What I find is the fact it did not arrive in the post room of Bentley Motors Ltd until 7 February and therefore was one day outside the legal limit.’
‘The defendant in this case cannot be convicted,’ she concluded.
David Beckham, who was photographed hanging out with Kim Jones in Paris ahead of the designer’s final show for Louis Vuitton, was a far cry from Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court, where the case was heard in his absence. But Freeman said that his client was ‘very relieved with the verdict’.
This isn’t the first time Mr Loophole’s saved the day, with previous clients including Jeremy Clarkson and Wayne Rooney, he’s just the guy you want in the dock when you’ve been caught getting a bit too carried away with the gas pedal in a souped up motor. And in 2008, he got Beckham out of an 8-month driving ban after successfully arguing that his client had only been speeding to get away from the paparazzi.
As for Sir Alex Ferguson, Beckham’s ex-manager at Manchester United, who was tried in 1999 for allegedly driving on the hard shoulder of the motorway, Mr Loophole successfully argued that his client was simply looking for the toilet because he had an upset stomach.
Although the stretch Beckham was speeding on was, any west Londoner or person with access to Google maps and too much time on their hands, will know, totally pedestrian free, road safety campaigners are upset that Beckham seems to have side-stepped the law.
Josh Brake told The Sun: ‘It’s hugely disappointing to see a role model like David Beckham shirking his responsibility and getting off a speeding prosecution on a technicality.
‘At the speed he was reported to be travelling, his stopping distance would be double that of someone driving within the limit — he should count himself very lucky that no incident occurred.’
And Claire Armstrong of Safe Speed Campaign said: ‘This says if you have enough money you can lead a different life to everyone else.
‘It also appears to show speeding is not seen as dangerous by courts.’
Meanwhile, Beckham was sunning himself in Paris, picking up a LV tote bag from Kim Jones, before heading off to a meal of snails and steak, perhaps, maybe, chuckling to himself after cracking a dad joke about snails and pace and the fact he’s still allowed to drive.