Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke has been handed a 12-month driving ban for a series of speeding offences.
The towering Belgian was initially caught driving 80mph in a 50mph zone back in January, before being clocked at similar speeds twice in the following months.
As noted by Sky Sports News, Benteke already had nine points on his license, but was hit with a further 18 as a result of his multiple infractions. He was also banned from driving for a year.
Chairwoman of the bench Pamela Stokes said that Benteke had failed in his duty as a role model to young people, having been continuously caught breaking the law with his speeding violations.
“I note that Benteke is someone who has offended before, and I also noted the very high speeds recorded for these matters before us today,” Stokes said.
“Benteke is a well-known footballer who has many fans, and he should be seen as a role model to those fans – his offending has fallen far short of being a role model.”
The Palace forward was not at the hearing as a result of travelling to Russia with the Belgian national team, but he did apologise for his actions through a statement to his lawyer Quentin Hunt.
“He has asked me specifically to apologise to the court and the general public in respect of his behaviour on speeding matters,” Hunt said. “He is acutely aware that he maybe seen by some as a role model to young people and his behaviour should reflect as such. His pattern of speeding is unacceptable.
“He does not wish to put forward any excuses for his behaviour. He realises he should not have been speeding in the way that he did.”
Overall, 2019 has been a miserable year for Benteke. He has scored just one goal for Palace, which came back in April, and has since lost his place in Roy Hodgson’s starting lineup as a result.
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