A former Coronation Street actress has been disqualified from driving for failing to provide police with information about who was driving her speeding car.
Helen Flanagan, 34, of Bolton, Greater Manchester, previously admitted two offences of failing to identify the driver of a motor vehicle.
She appeared at Wirral Magistrates' Court for an exceptional hardship hearing on Wednesday, 15th January 2025.
Failing to provide information about the driver of a vehicle is an offence under section 172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The maximum penalty on summary conviction is a fine at level 3 (£1,000). The offence also attracts 6 penalty points.
Flanagan, who lives in a village "10 minutes' drive from the nearest supermarket", told the court that she was "struggling financially" and would "really struggle without a car".
The mother-of-three said that she relies on her car to get her youngest, Charlie, to nursery each morning and it would be "very, very expensive" if she had to use a taxi for the journey. She told the court that she currently earns around £70,000 from her online presence.
Magistrates heard that Flanagan's £66,000 Audi Q7 was clocked speeding twice at different locations in Merseyside in June 2024. On the first occasion it was recorded travelling at 42 mph in a 30 mph limit; the second time at 51 mph in a 40 mph limit.
Flanagan, who previously starred as perhaps the wimpiest contestant ever on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, told the court that her partner, former professional footballer Robbie Talbot, had been behind the wheel of the speeding car. That being the case, she had passed him the section 172 notice to complete and return to Merseyside Police.
Mr Talbot said he had completed the paperwork, but the police, however, claimed never to have received it. In any event, it was Flanagan's responsibility, as registered keeper of the vehicle, to ensure the forms were correctly completed and returned.
Addressing the court, the 34-year-old actress said: "I very stupidly and naively thought it was acceptable for my boyfriend to reply on my behalf to explain to the police it was him that (was) driving, it wasn't me."
Drawing the application to a close, Patrick Boyers, for Flanagan, said: "She is a single mother of three children and she is doing her best.
"I would invite you to see round the haze of social media influencer branding. I would invite you to look at this case on the cold, hard facts of who is in front of you and I would invite you to find that exceptional hardship is a real possibility."
Magistrates were unconvinced.
Flanagan was fined £2,000 (£1,000 for each offence) and ordered to pay £800 surcharge and £110 towards prosecution costs.
Her licence was also endorsed with a further 12 penalty points, taking the total to 18 and making the actress liable for a totting disqualification.
She was disqualified from driving for a period of 6 months.
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