Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, 67, is convicted of speeding and fined £510 days after King Charles’ Coronation after being caught driving at 25mph in 20 zone in his VW Golf
The Archbishop of Canterbury has been convicted of speeding just days after presiding over the Coronation of King Charles, it has emerged.
Justin Welby, 67, was handed three penalty points and forced to pay a £510 legal bill after being snapped by a speed camera on October 2 last year.
The holy man was driving his Volkswagen Golf along the Albert Embankment in central London when the offence took place.
The religious leader had been travelling towards his official residence at Lambeth Palace, reports the Evening Standard.
According to court documents, Mr Welby admitted being behind the wheel when he was contacted by the Metropolitan Police.
The Archbishop, who crowned Charles III on Saturday (moment pictured), was handed three penalty points and forced to pay a £510 legal bill after being snapped by a speed camera on October 2 last year
The holy man was driving his Volkswagen Golf (pictured by speed camera) along the Albert Embankment in central London when the offence took place
The speed camera detected him driving 25mph in a 20mph zone.
In a statement to the court, police worker Andrew Chapman said: ‘On 02/10/2022 at 11.05am at A3036 Albert Embankment a motor vehicle activated a speed camera.
‘The speed recorded by means of RedSpeed SpeedCurb was 25 miles per hour.’
Transport for London (TfL) reduced the speed limit in the area to 20mph some three years ago.
Mr Welby avoided a court appearance by pleading guilty online and being prosecuted via the Single Justice Procedure.
It meant Lavender Hill magistrates court could deal with the case based solely on written evidence in a private hearing.
Mr Welby was fined £300 for speeding and was ordered to pay an additional £90 in costs, as well as a £120 victim surcharge.
Lambeth Palace told the Evening Standard that Mr Welby admitted the offence but was unaware it was being dealt with in court.
It claimed he had tried to pay the fine on three previous occasions but was hampered by ‘admin errors’.
His conviction came on the same day he took another shot at the Government’s immigration policy.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has been convicted of speeding – just days after presiding over the Coronation of King Charles
Mr Welby used a rare speech in the House of Lords to attack the Illegal Immigration Bill, which would make it easier to deport people arriving on the UK’s shores.
He told the upper chamber the law ‘fails to live up to our history, our moral responsibility, and our political and international interests’, and said he would personally table an amendment.
Ahead of the legislation returning to the red benches, Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk today urged peers not to stand in the way of the ‘will of the British people’ by blocking the UK Government’s migration policies.
The Archbishop, who crowned Charles III on Saturday, told the chamber that a new law was needed to stop the boats and end the role of ‘evil’ traffickers.
But he added: ‘We need a Bill to reform migration. We need a Bill to stop the boats. We need a Bill to destroy the evil tribe of traffickers. The tragedy is that without much change this is not that Bill.’
The intervention is his second major rebuke of the Government’s treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.
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