A company director on £170,000-a-year tried to avoid a driving ban claiming it would cause him ‘exceptional hardship’ as he would be unable to take his daughter horse riding.
Mark Lapping already had nine penalty points when he was caught speeding for a fourth time.
But the 48-year-old pleaded with magistrates not to impose a ban because a taxi fare to work would cost him 20 per cent of his wages.
He also claimed he would be forced to stop taking his daughter horse riding, which she was ‘passionate’ about.
Mark Lapping has been banned from driving for six months and now has 21 points on his licence
Lapping admitted four offences of speeding, committed between February 21 and May 25 last year, at Norwich Magistrates’ Court.
Lapping, the chief executive of Global Chair Components, told the court he regularly has to travel to work in Reydon, Suffolk, from his home at Helhoughton in Norfolk.
Driving a Land Rover Discovery, the father-of-two was caught doing 72mph in a 60 zone on February 21 at Sutton Bridge, King’s Lynn.
He did 35mph in a 30mph limit on May 6 in Lincolnshire, 62mph in a 50mph zone on the A414 at Stanstead Abbotts on May 20, and 35mph in a 30mph limit, at Whaplode on May 25.
Pleading ‘exceptional hardship’, Lapping told magistrates: ‘I am responsible for the business and that requires me to be in Reydon on a regular basis.
‘I can’t get there by public transport in the time available.
‘The duties extend throughout the UK as they have customers in China and Eastern Europe which requires transport to airports.
‘There are over 40 employees and the reason I was employed was they needed someone to run the business on a day-to-day basis, so there could be a detrimental impact on employees.
‘My mortgage is £3,411 per month and I am the sole earner.
‘Taxi costs for all of the locations I would need to get to would take at least 20% of my income.’
He added: ‘I would have to stop other activities, particularly my daughter’s equine activities which she is passionate about.
‘I regret the incidents as they have occurred and apologise unreservedly for them.
‘I was in a distracted state of mind at the time and I had other priorities.’
Joanna Kasprzyk, defending, said Lapping had been ‘burnt out’ by a decade of hard work with his previous employer.
Ms Kasprzyk said: ‘He was burnt out and it had an effect on him and his family.
‘When he decided to leave and tell everyone he was leaving that is when the driving offences were committed.’
Lapping already had nine points for speeding offences and now has another 12.
Lapping was given three penalty points and a £330 fine for each offence, with £300 costs and a £33 victim surcharge.
He was also banned from driving for six months.