EastEnders Star Shane Richie Banned From Driving After Speeding Offence
- EastEnders star Shane Richie was banned from driving for six months after being caught speeding at 35mph in a 30mph zone, a penalty he blamed on persistent harassment...
- The speeding offense occurred at 9.16am on 15 March, when Richie was caught on camera driving a Ford at 35mph along Reigate Hill in Surrey, a steep climb...
- In a note submitted to magistrate Sheila Hewitt, Richie apologized for exceeding the limit by five miles per hour but offered context regarding his daily routine.
EastEnders star Shane Richie was banned from driving for six months after being caught speeding at 35mph in a 30mph zone, a penalty he blamed on persistent harassment by paparazzi during his ongoing divorce. Court records showed the 62-year-old actor, who has played pub landlord Alfie Moon in the BBC soap since 2002, received the driving disqualification on 23 September after admitting the offence in writing, according to BBC News.
The speeding offense occurred at 9.16am on 15 March, when Richie was caught on camera driving a Ford at 35mph along Reigate Hill in Surrey, a steep climb leading to and from the M25 junction. Guildford Magistrates’ Court subsequently sentenced him in private through the Single Justice Procedure, handing down a £500 fine, £120 in costs, and a £200 victim surcharge, alongside the six-month driving ban.
Paparazzi Harassment Claims During Divorce
In a note submitted to magistrate Sheila Hewitt, Richie apologized for exceeding the limit by five miles per hour but offered context regarding his daily routine.
Over the past several months I’ve been followed from my place of work in Borehamwood (EastEnders) where I film sometimes 6 days a week by our British tabloid press…. to my home. On many occasions a photographer would try to drive alongside me to try to take my picture, either on the M25 or like I said into Reigate or Redhill. It’s no secret now that I’m going through a very public divorce and for the last several months the British press have suspected this and have been constantly baiting me and almost always looking for a reaction from me to sell their newspapers.
Shane Richie in a written note to Guildford Magistrates’ Court
Richie emphasized that the media pressure did not excuse his driving speed but explained why he may have accelerated on that particular stretch of road into Reigate. Court documentation did not detail whether the actor had existing penalty points on his licence prior to the hearing.
Pending Trial and Future Court Dates
The driving disqualification comes as the television presenter prepares for a separate upcoming trial involving an unrelated motoring allegation. BBC News reported that Richie appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court earlier in September to face a charge of drink-driving stemming from an incident on 29 July at a petrol station forecourt in Church Langley Way, Harlow, Essex.
Police alleged that Richie drove a white Hyundai car while exceeding the legal alcohol limit, having purportedly provided a breath sample of 65 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, against the legal limit of 35 micrograms. Richie has entered a not-guilty plea to that charge, and a trial date has been scheduled for 17 November 2027 at Colchester Magistrates’ Court.