Sir Idris Elba has been found guilty of a speeding offence and ordered to pay £147 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
The 53-year-old actor and DJ was caught riding his BMW moped at 28mph along Chelsea Embankment in central London, exceeding the 20mph limit.
The Metropolitan Police brought the prosecution following the incident in June last year.
Sir Idris acknowledged he was the rider but contested the case on procedural grounds. His legal team argued he never received the fixed penalty notice from police, which would have allowed him to resolve the matter without going to court.
Sir Idris Elba was found guilty at Wimbledon Magsitrates’ Court
|
PA
The Luther and Wire star engaged specialist motoring offence solicitors from Patterson Law to represent him.
Court documents revealed that Sir Idris’s moped activated a speed camera at 10:12am on June 21 last year near Cheyne Walk.
“The speed recorded was 28mph on a 20mph road,” a police statement set out.
Officers submitted three photographs to the court as evidence of the offence.
Sir Idris Elba was found guilty
|
PA
After receiving correspondence from police, Sir Idris “confirmed that they were the driver/rider at the time,” according to a police staff member.
The same official noted that an eligibility assessment was conducted using the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme database, which determined the actor could not be offered a diversionary course as an alternative to prosecution.
Patterson Law informed the court that their client had responded to the initial Notice of Intended Prosecution, identifying himself as the rider, and anticipated receiving a fixed penalty offer.
“However, the offer never arrived and he therefore never had the opportunity to accept it,” the lawyers stated in their submission.
Sir Idris Elba was involved in the incident in June last year
|
PA
“Had he received it, he absolutely would have accepted it.”
The solicitors emphasised that Sir Idris held a clean driving licence and was entering a guilty plea, thereby avoiding the expense of a trial.
They requested the magistrate impose no more than a £100 fine without costs, arguing it would be unjust to levy additional financial penalties for circumstances beyond their client’s control.
The magistrate also imposed three penalty points on Sir Idris’s licence, along with £110 in costs and a £59 victim surcharge.
Sir Idris Elba is currently starring in Hijack
|
PA
The case was processed through the Single Justice Procedure, a streamlined system enabling magistrates to handle minor criminal matters privately using only written submissions.
Sir Idris was not required to appear in person for sentencing.
The hearing took place behind closed doors.
The speeding incident occurred just one day after the announcement that Sir Idris would be working with King Charles on a Netflix documentary marking five decades of The King’s Trust charity.
Sir Idris Elba is a well-known actor
|
PA
Late last year, the actor received a knighthood in recognition of his charitable endeavours.