David Beckham has '˜scored an own goal' by dodging driving prosecution

Last week, a charge of driving his Bentley at 59mph in a 40mph limit in Paddington was dropped, national press reported, with Beckham appointing Nick Freeman, nicknamed in the media as ‘Mr Loophole’, as his counsel.

His acquittal came about as a result of a technicality, his Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) arrived on the 15th day after the alleged offence, rather than inside that statutory 14 days, the nationals reported. According to reports, his legal team did not dispute the offence, just the fact that with the NIP was outside the time limit,a prosecution was legally null and void.

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Most people have fallen foul of the traffic regulations in this country at some time or other, in fact for the first six weeks of last season I had more points on my licence than Crystal Palace had in the Premier League.

But ultimately, however annoying it is, the points and fines are accrued because drivers break the law.

A small minority might commend Beckham and Freeman for their actions in court, citing it as a victory for the collective throng of victimised motorists.

But on the flipside, the overwhelming majority in the Court of Public Opinion will think Beckham, on this occasion, has scored a spectacular own goal.

Going at that speed, had he hit another car or even a pedestrian, there could have been serious repercussions.

Thankfully he didn’t.

A fine, points or even a driving ban, wouldn’t have really impacted on him that much, so why go to all these lengths just to avoid a conviction?

By finding the loophole, and effectively surmising that he’s above the law, with the resulting publicity it has generated it could end up doing Becks, and even Posh, more harm than good in the long run.

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