Richard Hammond fined £1,771 after 2 speeding busts in 3 weeks

Former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has been fined after pleading guilty to two speeding offences committed within three weeks while driving two of his luxury cars in England.The 56-year-old television personality admitted to exceeding the speed limit on two separate occasions in December last year - first in a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo and later in a Bentley Continental GT.Richard Hammond pleaded guilty to two speeding chargesAccording to The Guardian, West Mercia Police prosecuted Hammond after speed camera images captured him driving above the speed limit in Herefordshire.Court documents showed that Hammond was driving his Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo at 68 mph in a 50 mph zone on the A40 in Pencraig on December 2.Twenty days later, on December 22, he was caught driving his Bentley Continental GT at 82 mph in a 70 mph zone on the A50 Rudhall overbridge, also in Herefordshire.Hammond pleaded guilty to both speeding offences through his legal representatives.Court imposes fine and penalty pointsAt Telford Magistrates' Court last week, Hammond was handed seven penalty points on his driving licence.The court ordered him to pay a total of £1,771, which included fines of £333 and £666, along with £240 in court costs and £532 in victim surcharges.Police tracked Hammond after notices were returnedPolice initially sent notices relating to the speeding offences to two properties linked to Hammond—a Grade II-listed castle in Herefordshire that he bought in 2012 and a farm estate near Hereford.However, both letters were reportedly returned marked "addressee gone away."Authorities later traced Hammond to his £2 million mansion near Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, where court documents noted that more than 30 vehicles are registered.Hammond had also faced two additional allegations of failing to identify the driver after the notices went unanswered.His solicitor told the court that Hammond had responded by first-class post, personally identifying himself as the driver."He replied identifying himself as the driver. He sent the reply by First Class post. He posted the reply himself," the solicitor said in a statement read before the court.Following that explanation, prosecutors withdrew the additional charges, and Hammond was convicted only on the speeding offences.Hammond has faced speeding incidents beforeThis is not the first time Hammond has been involved in driving-related incidents.In 2006, he narrowly survived a high-speed crash while filming Top Gear after a jet-powered car he was driving crashed at around 320 mph, leaving him with serious injuries.He was also banned from driving in France for three months in 2013 after he and former Top Gear co-host Jeremy Clarkson were caught speeding while filming the motoring series.Hammond presented the BBC's Top Gear alongside Clarkson and James May between 2002 and 2015 before the trio reunited for Amazon Prime Video's The Grand Tour.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.