The Rich Never Cries: David Beckham cleared of speeding charge because ticket was issued too late

David Beckham has been cleared of speeding because his ticket was issued too late.

Earlier on Thursday, his celebrity lawyer failed in a bid to get his client's speeding charge thrown out on the technicality, but the judge in the case sided with the ex-footballer.

Earlier on Thursday, the ex-footballer posted a picture on Instagram of himself stuck in London traffic after Nick Freeman arrived alone to defend him at the speeding trial. 

The selfie was captioned "Angry: London traffic" and showed him wearing a beanie hat and sunglasses posing with his hand behind his head in what appears to be the back of a car clad in cream leather. It was posted just before midday on Thursday.

At around 9.30am, his lawyer Mr Freeman - dubbed "Mr Loophole" - arrived at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court carrying an elaborate brown briefcase ahead of the hearing.

The judge this afternoon dismissed a submission by the celebrity lawyer that Beckham has no case to answer over an the alleged speeding offence.

Nick Freeman, dubbed "Mr Loophole", had argued that "it would be unsafe to allow these proceedings to continue" owing to what he claimed was a lack of admissible prosecution evidence.

Mr Freeman is fighting the charge on the basis that the notice, sent on February 2, arrived at Bentley Motors on February 7, a day outside the statutory window and was therefore "defective".

District Judge Barbara Barnes told him a tribunal could reasonably convict the former England footballer on the evidence and ruled there was a case to answer.

But after hearing the evidence, she ruled the ticket was indeed issued too late and Beckham was cleared.

Beckham, of Holland Park in west London, is accused of driving a loaned Bentley at 59mph in a 40mph zone on the A40 in Paddington shortly after 5.30pm on January 23.

The trial at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court heard from four witnesses on Thursday morning regarding the sending of a notice of intended prosecution, which is said to have arrived a day outside the statutory 14-day window.

In his submission, Mr Freeman told the court: "If the Crown can't prove that the letter was sent by first class post then the concept that it arrives in two working days goes out of the window.
"It would be unsafe to allow these proceedings to go any further."

A not guilty plea to a charge of exceeding a 40mph speed limit in contravention of a local traffic order was entered on August 17.

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Beckham was not in court.

Beckham made his name at Manchester United in the 1990s before going on to play for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, and also earned 115 caps for the national side.

He retired from playing in 2013.

He and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria have built up a multi-million pound empire through Victoria's eponymous fashion house, clothing lines with retailers and product endorsements.