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Tottenham star Jermain Defoe in speeding appeal
06.11.09
England footballer Jermain Defoe is due to appear in court today to appeal against a speeding conviction.
Defoe was disqualified from driving in July after being found guilty of speeding, but the sentence was immediately suspended as his lawyers appealed against the conviction.
Chelmsford Magistrates' Court heard that the Tottenham Hotspur striker twice broke a 50mph speed limit on the M11 in Chigwell, Essex, in 2008.
District Judge David Cooper fined Defoe £1,500 for failing to inform the authorities who was driving his Land Rover on each occasion and endorsed his licence with 12 points.
He also disqualified him for six months and ordered him to pay costs of £600.
Defoe's legal team said the appeal would be partly based on an argument that police paperwork was invalid on the grounds that it had been handled by an unauthorised person.
Defoe, of Cuffley, Hertfordshire, denied any offence.
If the appeal succeeds, he will be able to claim back the money, totalling £2,100.
