A DRIVER caught speeding in the same spot on the A16 four times in three weeks has escaped a ban.
Lorry driver William Kelly (63) told Spalding’s magistrates he would be “left with nothing” if his licence was taken away after pleading guilty for being repeatedly clocked by the fixed camera at Deeping Common.
Kelly had appeared before the court on Tuesday to allow a panel of magistrates to consider banning him from getting back behind the wheel.
However, the bench accepted his plea that it would cause him exceptional hardship.
Prosecutor Rebecca Ritson said Kelly had been recorded at speeds between 48-56mph on August 17, 18 and 31 and again on September 2. The limit for his Volvo HGV was 40mph.
Kelly, representing himself, told the court: “I have been driving for 46 years. I have always taken great pride in having a clean licence and I would like to think I am one of the most considerate drivers on the road.
“I do not know what happened to cause this speed because I am always so careful. I spent 23 years in the Army and my driving in the Army was first class.”
Kelly said he also relied on his licence to take his wife, who is on incapacity benefits for a curved spine, to regular hospital appointments.
He explained he had also been suffering from ill health and said it may have been to blame for his “lack of concentration” on the road.
Kelly, of Potton, Bedfordshire, told the court he has been signed off from work since December and has been advised not to drive until he had seen a specialist at Papworth Hospital.
His licence was endorsed with three penalty points for each of the four speeding offences. He was also ordered to pay a £35 fine for each offence, along with £43 towards costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
Giving the sentence, presiding magistrate Jim Price warned Kelly: “When you do get back behind the wheel be extremely careful.”