For so long now, David Beckham has been a role model for so many people. Not only while he was playing football, but since hanging up his boots too. He clearly wants to portray himself as being a person of good standing, and someone who does things the right way. Until now we’ve believed it.
This business with him getting off a speeding charge on a technicality though has changed my opinion of him completely.
Speeding
His lawyer has successfully argued that a piece of paper arrived a day late through the postal system. This solitary day has meant that the court cannot continue with the prosecution against him. This is despite the fact he has admitted to driving the vehicle that was caught travelling at 59 mph in a 40 mph zone.
But he pleaded not guilty. Presumably so as to allow his lawyer the option of arguing this legal technicality in court and thus getting the charge dropped. But just because the charge was dropped doesn’t mean he is not guilty of speeding. All the evidence tells us he most certainly is, it’s just that in law he can’t be prosecuted for it. This is why he is still only “alleged” to have been speeding.
The legal technicality hasn’t changed the speed at which the borrowed Bentley he was driving was flagged at. So we have a situation where we have an admittance of driving a car clocked at almost one-and-a-half time the speed limit. Yet he walks away.
Money and Image
I wonder how much this defence has cost David Beckham? Probably more than the fine he would have received. Why defend it in the first place? Would another 3, or maybe 6 points have meant a driving ban?
Was he trying to protect his image? A speeding conviction would have been big news I guess, whereas the risk this case was discovered in the lower magistrates courts by the press was low. If this is the case, he’s lost.
For me, looking at social media and the press, he has done his image far more harm than good. People are questioning his morals. For someone who tries to portray his image a certain way, the damage has been done.
My Speeding Conviction
I don’t shy away from the fact I have a speeding conviction. Or rather I would have done if I’d not been able to take the speed awareness course.
One Saturday morning, I was clocked at 37 mph in a 30 mph zone. A couple of weeks later I got the letter from the Police Bureau asking me, the car owner, to declare who was driving. At the time I never realised that this came more than 14 days after the speed camera got me.
Thinking back, I wonder if I had known this would I have challenged it? It would have required me to risk going to court. I say risk because had I lost the case as 3 points on my license would have become 6 and the fine bigger and court costs included. I couldn’t have afforded a lawyer to go to court for me, so I would have had to have defended myself. All things considered, I would have still accepted my punishment.
Speed Awareness
I ended up doing a speed awareness course. It’s probably the best few hours I’ve spent locked in a room being talked to about driving. I learnt a lot and believe all drivers would benefit from it.
Maybe David Beckham should take this course, he might learn a thing or two about speeding, the consequences of it and how to avoid it.
Thanks for reading.
Dave
I’m a little indifferent to this. Speeding is wrong, no matter who’s behind the wheel the laws are there to keep people safe and should be adhered to. Having said that, this one decision he’s made to use a technicality to most likely escape a driving ban, is that enough to tarnish his entire image?
Not for me. You could say, it’s not his fault there’s a technicality, a flaw in the system. Also, what this guy has done for millions of people across many years is massively admirable. The charity work he does along with the time he played a portion of his career for free, having his wages go directly to a young boys orphanage just to name a few things…
Does that mean he should get away with speeding, endangering people on the roads, not at all but, to tarnish his entire reputation is a bit far I think.
Maybe we should knock him down to Silver Balls rather than Golden?
Having thought about and seeing the media furore die down somewhat I think he’s going to be fine!
The issue for me is that he knows he was travelling at 19mph over the limit, that he would have been found guilty for had it not been for the paperwork being late. He knows that. It’s him, flexing his wealth to avoid a fine and possible ban. Had that been me, I couldn’t have afforded the risk of going to court nor the expense!