Defoe speeding charge case halted

The case against Premiership footballer Jermain Defoe, who is accused of speeding and other driving offences, was today halted because of red tape.

Defoe, who recently made a £15m move from Portsmouth Football Club to Tottenham Hotspur, was due to appear at Fareham Magistrates’ Court today.

But the court heard he did not attend because he was given insufficient time since he was summonsed in late December last year to appear.

The court was told that the Crown Prosecution Service now had the option to re-summons him to appear at a future hearing.

Defoe, who suffered a foot injury at the weekend, is being represented by Nick Freeman, known as “Mr Loophole”, who has become famous for helping celebrities including Jeremy Clarkson avoid driving convictions.

Defoe, 26, is alleged to have been caught by speed cameras in Portsmouth on three occasions last year.

He is charged with failing to identify the driver of a vehicle when requested to do so by the chief constable of Hampshire Police in relation to the three speeding offences.

The speeding offences are of exceeding 40mph twice on May 7 and March 12 and of exceeding 30mph on May 8, according to the CPS.

He was due to appear today for the 40mph matters, with a second hearing to be held at the same court on April 22 for the 30mph case.

Defoe, from Cuffley, Herts, is also to be represented by Mr Freeman for a second set of alleged driving offences before Southend Magistrates’ Court in Essex.

He initially pleaded guilty to three offences alleged to have happened in Canvey, Essex, on April 17 last year but later changed his pleas to not guilty and a trial is to be held on March 23.

He is charged with permitting the use of a vehicle without insurance, permitting use of a vehicle while in a dangerous condition because of heavily tinted windows and aiding and abetting driving without a licence, according to the CPS.

His friend Ryan Edgar, 23, of Plaistow, east London, is charged with driving Defoe’s Land Rover without insurance, without a full licence and driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition. He has not entered pleas and is due to appear at Southend Magistrates’ Court on February 10.