Archbishop of Canterbury slapped with speeding fine days after coronation

13 May 2023 , 02:39

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Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (Image: AP)

The Archbishop of Canterbury was convicted of speeding just days after the coronation of the King.

Justin Welby, 67, was caught exceeding the limit in the Kennington borough of Lambeth last year.

Speed cameras captured him driving 25mph in a 20mph zone on the A3036 Albert Embankment in his Volkswagen Golf, going in the direction of his official residence at Lambeth Palace.

The offence happened on October 2 2022, with the archbishop attending a private magistrates' court hearing on Wednesday.

He was convicted and sentenced during the hearing, which was held at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court.

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Justin Welby, 67, was caught exceeding a 20mph limit in the Kennington borough of Lambeth last year (PA)

He received a £510 fine and three points on his licence, according to a court spokeswoman, with the payment made up of a £300 fine, a £120 victim surcharge and £90 in legal costs.

His sentencing, which was first reported by the Evening Standard, was on the same day he appeared at the House of Lords where he condemned the Government's plans to tackle the small boats crisis as "morally unacceptable and politically impractical", also just days after the coronation of King Charles.

Justin Welby's sentencing occurred the same day that he condemned the Government's plans to tackle the small boats crisis (PA)

Mr Welby admitted the offence in writing online, with the prosecution conducted through the Single Justice Procedure - allowing the court to deal with the matter through written evidence in a private hearing.

According to the Evening Standard, police worker Andrew Chapman said in a statement to the court: “On 02/10/2022 at 11.05am at A3036 Albert Embankment a motor vehicle activated a speed camera.

The archbishop's conviction came just days after the Coronation of King Charles III (Getty Images)

“The speed recorded by means of RedSpeed SpeedCurb was 25 miles per hour.”

A Lambeth Palace spokeswoman said the Archbishop was aware of the speeding offence but had not been notified that it had gone to court.

The spokeswoman said: "He has tried to resolve this and pay the fine three times. He has all the paperwork to prove that he has tried to pay. Admin errors seem to be causing problems."

Sophie Goodall