John Stones has been found guilty of speeding after the former Manchester City defender explained he missed a police letter while away at the World Cup with England
England star John Stones has been found guilty of speeding after missing a police letter while the former Manchester City defender was at the World Cup.
The Inter Milan ace had been caught exceeding the speed limit in his £150,000 Range Rover back in May. He was recorded travelling at 43mph along a 30mph section of country road close to his Cheshire home. Stones, who left City as a free agent before moving to Serie A this summer, acknowledged being behind the wheel when initially approached by Cheshire Police.
However, the 32-year-old failed to reply to a follow-up correspondence from officers, which would have allowed him to settle with a fixed penalty and avoid court proceedings. Stones informed Warrington Magistrates’ Court the letter was ‘found by chance’ after his property had remained empty for ‘almost four months’.
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In a written statement, Stones said he had ‘nothing to say about the speeding’ but added: “The reason I am only responding to the offence now is because I represent our country for football and so I have not been home and seen any post.
“I sent off my letter on the 28th May to give my details, I went off to join England. We were there until the 19th July.
“I went on holiday and then moved to Milan, so this has been found by chance, as no one has been home for almost four months. This is the reason I also would not be able to be present as I no longer am residing in the country.”
Court documents reveal Stones was driving a Range Rover when it was caught by a speed camera travelling at 43mph in a 30mph zone at 10.40am on May 8. At the time, City were in the final throes of last season’s Premier League campaign and gearing up for the FA Cup final.
Stones was hit with a £1,052 court bill after failing to respond to the police letter.
He was prosecuted and found guilty in the Single Justice Procedure, with a magistrate last week handing him four penalty points and ordering him to pay a £666 fine, £120 in costs, and a £266 victim surcharge.
Stones played in the opening match of the World Cup finals in the USA after being named in the 26-man squad, before taking part again in the quarter-final showdown with Mexico and featuring in England’s semi-final loss to Argentina.
Since his summer move to the San Siro, following a decade-long spell at the Etihad, he has made four appearances for Inter.