Acclaimed actor and DJ Sir Idris Elba has received a fine for exceeding the 20mph (32km/h) speed limit while riding his scooter on Chelsea Embankment in London.
The 53-year-old, celebrated for his roles in *Luther* and *The Wire*, was recorded going 28mph in June of last year.
At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, he was penalized with a £147 fine, accrued three penalty points on his driving record, and instructed to pay £110 in costs along with a £59 surcharge intended for victims.
The Metropolitan Police presented three images in court, capturing Sir Idris after his moped set off a speed camera on the morning of June 21.
This incident occurred just one day after news broke of Sir Idris’s collaboration with the King on a Netflix project, commemorating 50 years of the King’s Trust (previously known as the Prince’s Trust).
He was honored with a knighthood due to his philanthropic efforts during the New Year Honours.
According to the Met Police, Sir Idris acknowledged being the rider during the incident when they reached out to him.
A representative from the Metropolitan Police also mentioned that the actor had been given the option to settle the issue with a fixed penalty but failed to respond or provide his driving licence details.
Nevertheless, Sir Idris’s legal team at Patterson Law, specialists in motoring violations, informed the court that the fixed penalty notice was never received. They asserted that “had he received it, he would have accepted it without hesitation.”
The police confirmed that the actor was not eligible for a diversionary program following an automatic check on the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) records.
Sir Idris’s law firm stated that he holds a clean driving record and chose to plead guilty to the charges, thus avoiding the expenses associated with a trial.
The case was processed through the Single Justice Procedure, a streamlined method that enables magistrates to handle minor criminal offenses in private based solely on written documentation.
Sir Idris was not required to appear in court for his sentencing.
