Warning: Ben Stokes to be jailed if found driving
London: England’s dashing all-rounder Ben Stokes might find himself sitting tight behind bars if he’s caught driving anytime in the next six months, after admitting to speeding as many as four times.
The 25-year-old was banned from going behind the wheel till mid-December after he appeared at the Northallerton Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty for speeding past road works in Yorkshire.
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Stokes, who has been one of England’s brightest prospects, has certainly established himself as one of the most valuable players in the side. He boasts of smashing the fastest double century in Test cricket for England but also was left distraught in the ICC World T20 2016 final when he bowled the last over against West Indies.
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According to The Northern Eco, the court was told that Stokes was captured by cameras driving at 75 miles per hour when the permissible speed limit was 50 miles per hour. He was captured by the cameras on the southbound carriageway early in the morning at 7.01 am on September 20, 2015.
Stokes was fined £830 by magistrate Anna Ramsden and if found driving before December 14, he might be jailed. He also pleaded guilty to driving at 61 miles per hour on August 26, at 12.19 pm at the same place.
Reports added that two charges of not providing police with identity proof were dropped after the cricketer admitted his offences.
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Stokes appeared for the hearing with his fiancée Clare Ratcliffe, and asked the judges, “Hi, how are you doing?”
In another instance, the England cricketer was caught over speeding after the final Test against India in July 2014, as well as in September. He was caught speeding in a zone where the maximum speed allowed is 30 miles per hour.
Stokes’ counsel Laura Nash said, “He is at a loss as to how there is an endorsement on the same date. He also faces the embarrassment of having to declare the disqualification to his employers, Durham and the ECB (England Cricket Board). He is very much aware that this sends out the wrong message, that a professional sportsman has been captured speeding on four separate occasions.”