A Chelsea footballer who was caught on camera speeding down the hard shoulder of a busy A road in his Lamborghini has been handed a lengthy driving ban.
Wesley Fofana, 24, pleaded guilty at North East Surrey magistrates court to one count of driving dangerously on 20 April along the A3 Esher bypass in Hook, Hampshire. The incident came to light after another motorist captured the footage on a dashcam and reported it to the police.
The date of the offence predates eight other speeding charges for which Fofana was disqualified from driving for two years in May.
The recording, published by the CPS, shows him speeding on the hard shoulder and winding recklessly through traffic.
The district judge Julie Cooper sentenced Fofana to an 18-month community order, which includes 300 hours of community service and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
“You obviously realise there are a lot of young people who look up to you and they would like to be like you and follow you. That’s part of the whole gig,” Cooper told him.
“However, they will not be able to afford these expensive cars, with all their additions that keep them safe and you could have some 17-year-old, who has just passed their test, who think they can copy you.
“They will not be able to handle their car and do some ridiculous driving manoeuvres and they are dead. You need to be much more responsible about your behaviour.”
Prosecutor Rabbi Khan said the other motorist captured Fofana’s white Lamborghini on their dashcam about 4.50pm. Khan told the court: “The witness identified the danger and this defendant was driving on the hard shoulder at speed in a 50mph zone.
“The offence is aggravated by an approaching bend that was signposted and he is not indicating when making these manoeuvres. He refused to abide by the road rules at speed.”
Fofana was disqualified at Lavender Hill magistrates court in May for eight speeding offences committed while driving his Rolls-Royce Cullinan, a blue Audi and the same Lamborghini Urus.
He admitted all the offences and was fined a total of £5,328, plus a £2,131 victim surcharge and £110 costs. On that occasion, he received 38 penalty points on his licence, taking his total to 47. The latest offence predates these speeding charges.
His solicitor, Imogen Cox, told the court: “The video speaks for itself – 15 to 20 seconds of driving that are conceded. There is no explanation or excuse for his driving on that day.
“He attended voluntarily for an interview at Guildford police station and apologised for driving and said he had learned a valuable lesson about his driving and had no explanation for his driving on that day.
“This offence pre-dates the speeding offences, which were all within a seven-month period and tied-up at Lavender Hill. He is essentially of good character, having no criminal convictions against him. He is fit and healthy and able to carry out community work.”
The judge said any breach of the new 18-month driving ban was likely to result in a prison sentence. “At the end of the disqualification you cannot drive until you pass an extended driving test and if you drive as a disqualified driver you will almost certainly be sent to prison, and that is career-ending,” she said.
