David Beckham arrives at court as he faces driving ban for using his phone at the wheel of £100,000 Bentley
- David Beckham, 43, pleaded guilty to driving while on mobile phone in London
- His sentencing was due to take place last month but was moved to today
- He appeared at Bromley Magistrates Court in London this afternoon
- He previously avoided prosecution for speeding in London last year
David Beckham, pictured arriving at court today, could face a driving ban at court over using his mobile while driving last year
David Beckham has arrived in court in London to face a possible driving ban after admitting using his phone while driving in November.
The former England captain appeared at Bromley Magistrates’ Court to learn what punishment he faced after being caught on his mobile in a £100,000 Bentley in central London last November.
The father-of-four pleaded guilty to the charge by post and was set to be dealt with at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court last month.
But the hearing was moved after Beckham, who was then in the US, confirmed he would attend his sentencing to accept responsibility for the incident.
His case was previously set to be resolved via a single justice procedure, a hearing behind closed doors where one magistrates can choose to impose points or a fine as punishment.
Court officials last month said it was now listed as a ‘disqualification hearing’, but they admitted they did not have his driving record yet and were unaware how many points were on his licence.
Driving while using a mobile phone can carry a disqualification penalty as well as a maximum fine of £1,000. The offence usually results in six points on a licence.
A court official said last month: ‘Although it is listed as “to attend for disqualification” we don’t know if he has enough points for disqualification.’
She added the court would only have an up-to-date version of his driving record a few days before the sentencing.
Beckham, pictured with son Brooklyn, 20, in a black Bentley in London last year,
It is understood the 43-year-old father-of-four asked for the hearing to be moved so he could attend and accept responsibility for the incident. He is pictured with wife Victoria
According to the charge the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was spotted driving his 2018 Bentley while using his phone in Great Portland Street on November 21.
Beckham previously avoided a speeding prosecution for driving a loaned Bentley at 59mph in a 40mph zone in west London two months earlier.
Celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman argued a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) was not received until one day after the statutory 14-day limit.
The technicality meant he did not face any further action. He did not attend that hearing at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court and opted for it to be heard in his absence.
Beckham was accused of ‘shirking his responsibility’ as a role model to young people and other footballers after avoiding prosecution.
There was outrage among lawyers and road safety campaigners and Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said was ‘hugely disappointing’ to see the role model ‘getting off a speeding prosecution on a mere technicality’.
Mr Freeman also assisted Beckham overturn an eight-month driving ban in 1999 after arguing that the footballer was trying to escape a paparazzi photographer.
Beckham, pictured using his phone in a car in the US in an unrelated incident, was caught on his mobile in a Bentley in central London last November