Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes has been banned from driving for six months after being convicted of two separate speeding offences committed within 48 hours of each other.
The 51-year-old, regarded as one of the finest midfielders of his generation during a trophy-laden career at Old Trafford, found himself in legal trouble after his vehicles were caught exceeding speed limits on two occasions in different parts of the north of England.
The first offence took place on the evening of 3 March, when Scholes was driving a Range Rover through Cleckheaton in West Yorkshire and was recorded travelling above the permitted speed. The second incident occurred months earlier, on the morning of 14 November last year, when his Mercedes was clocked speeding on Mossley Road near Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester.
The two cases were dealt with separately by courts on consecutive days in August. On 12 August, Bradford Magistrates' Court dealt with the Cleckheaton offence, imposing a six-month driving ban along with financial penalties. The very next day, Manchester Magistrates' Court handled the Mossley Road case, adding six penalty points to Scholes' licence and issuing further fines.
Altogether, the fines, court costs, and associated fees from both cases amounted to £1,472.
According to a court official, Scholes was prosecuted under the Single Justice Procedure, a system that allows certain minor criminal cases to be dealt with by a single magistrate without the need for a traditional courtroom hearing, often based on written evidence. Under this process, Scholes did not submit pleas to either charge and was ultimately convicted in his absence in both instances.
The Single Justice Procedure has become an increasingly common route for prosecuting low-level offences such as speeding, allowing courts to process large volumes of cases more efficiently. However, it has also drawn criticism in the past for occasionally leading to convictions where defendants may not have been fully aware of proceedings against them, given the private nature of the hearings.
Scholes, who made over 700 appearances for Manchester United across two spells before retiring, was part of the Premier League and Champions League winning generation under Sir Alex Ferguson. Since hanging up his boots, he has remained a prominent figure in English football media, frequently offering analysis and commentary on television.
The driving ban means Scholes will be unable to legally get behind the wheel for the duration of the six-month suspension. It remains unclear whether he plans to appeal either conviction, though no such action had been reported at the time the bans were confirmed.
This is not the first time high-profile former footballers have found themselves before the courts over driving offences, with speeding and related motoring violations occasionally drawing public attention due to the individuals' fame. For Scholes, the twin convictions serve as a reminder that off-field discipline can carry consequences long after a playing career has ended.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.