Sir Idris Elba Fined for Speeding on Scooter in Central London
Not Quite 'RocknRolla': Sir Idris Elba Fined for Speeding on Scooter in Central London
LONDON — He may be known for evading mobsters on a moped in RocknRolla, but Sir Idris Elba found himself unable to outrun the long arm of the law last week. The Luther and The Wire star has been convicted and fined after being caught breaking the speed limit on his BMW scooter along the Chelsea Embankment.
The 53-year-old actor recently knighted in the New Year Honours list was clocked by speed cameras travelling at 28mph in a 20mph zone at approximately 10:12 AM on 21st June of last year.
The Single Justice Procedure
The case was dealt with last Thursday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court under the Single Justice Procedure, a fast-track system that allows magistrates to resolve low-level criminal matters using written evidence alone. Sir Idris was not required to attend the hearing in person.
The court handed down the following penalties:
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Fines: A £147 penalty for the speeding offence.
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Licence Points: Three penalty points added to his driving record.
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Additional Costs: An order to pay £110 in prosecution costs and a £59 victim surcharge.
The "Missing" Penalty Notice
While the actor admitted to being the rider in question, his legal team at Patterson Law, a firm specializing in motoring offences—argued that the punishment was harsher than it should have been. In a letter to the court, his lawyers stated that Elba had nominated himself as the driver immediately after the incident but never received the original Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).
“Mr. Elba was expecting to receive a fixed penalty offer,” the letter read. “However, the offer never arrived and he therefore never had the opportunity to accept it. Had he received it, he absolutely would have accepted it.”
The defense requested the court cap the fine at £100 (replicating a standard fixed penalty) and waive the court costs, arguing that the escalation to a court hearing was "no fault of his own." However, the magistrate ultimately upheld the higher fine and the additional surcharges.
Riding in London
The incident occurred just one day after it was announced that the actor is collaborating with King Charles III on a new Netflix documentary marking 50 years of The King’s Trust.
Ironically, Elba’s affinity for scooting through the capital is a matter of pop-culture record. He famously provided the sampled line "We can go driving on my scooter, you know, just riding in London" for Taylor Swift’s 2019 hit song, London Boy.
Despite the legal hiccup and the three points on his previously clean licence, the newly minted Sir Idris remains one of the city's most high-profile enthusiasts for two-wheeled travel. For now, however, it seems he’ll have to keep his "London Boy" pace strictly under the 20mph limit.
