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Shane Warne banned from driving in UK

Shane Warne

Shane Warne Photo: Getty

Former Australian cricketer Shane Warne has been banned from driving in Britain for 12 months after racking up six speeding offences within three years.

The ex-spin bowler admitted breaking a 40mp/h (64km/h) limit in a hired Jaguar car in Kensington last year when he already had 15 penalty points on his licence, Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court heard on Monday.

The 50-year-old, who was not in court for the hearing, was clocked at 47mph at 6.29am on a slip road on August 23.

Warne, widely regarded as one of the best bowlers to play the game, was also ordered to pay £1845 ($A3397) to the court.

Deputy District Judge Adrian Turner questioned why Warne was not automatically banned after collecting 12 points.

His lawyer, Barry Warburton, said system errors meant drivers could avoid disqualification.

“You get people on the road with 30 points,” he said.

“There might be a slight change of address, maybe the date of birth was entered wrongly, you can actually have a high amount of points without actually totting.”

The ban means Warne, who is in Scotland for the Alfred Dunhill golf tournament, cannot drive in any country within the EU.

Mr Warburton said he did not know if Warne held an Australian licence but said he would be uninsured if he tried to drive in Australia on his British licence.

The judge told the court: “The purpose of disqualification is to punish and to protect the public and to deter.

“Between April 2016 and August last year, Warne committed six speeding offences.

“It may well be that none on its own were particularly serious but for points disqualification purposes the triviality of the offences is not to be taken into account.

“A period of 12 months is necessary for the purposes I have mentioned.”

Warne, of Little Venice, west London, was ordered to pay £775 in costs, fined £900, and must pay a surcharge of £170.

In 2013, he was fined £500 after admitting driving at more than 100mph on a motorway in Scotland.

Warne took 708 wickets in 145 Tests for Australia before retiring from international cricket in 2007.

-AAP

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