Joey Barton has avoided a driving ban for crashing a £30,000 Mercedes without insurance, adding that there were "special reasons" why he should be allowed to continue driving. The 40-year-old Bristol Rovers boss crashed the Mercedes GL350 he was driving in Gloucestershire between junctions 11a and 12 of the M5 on December 16, 2021.
The Sun reports that the former Newcastle United midfielder pleaded guilty at Cheltenham Magistrates Court to not having valid car insurance at the time and was warned he could be banned from driving. However, on Wednesday (September 21), Gwyn Lewis, defending, argued that there had been 'special reasons' why he should keep his licence.
He told District Judge Nicholas Wattam that Barton had been misled into thinking the vehicle had been insured by his brother before taking it out for a drive and the court was also told how the officer who had been called to the crash had recognised Barton at the time. He was fined £300 and ordered to pay court costs of £90, as well as a £34 victim surcharge.
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Barton has been in charge of the Gas since February 2021. He was unable to prevent the club from being relegated from League One that season, but he led the club straight back into the third tier the following campaign.
Rovers are currently 21st in League One after nine games, suffering a 6-3 defeat to Lincoln City last time out. The incident occurred during a lack of fixtures for Rovers, with a Covid-19 outbreak in Rovers' squad later that week forcing four games to be postponed around Christmas.
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