Author La Plante banned from driving for six months
Best-selling crime author Lynda La Plante has been banned from driving for six months after pleading guilty to breaking the 20mph speed limit near her home in Kingston-upon-Thames. La Plante, who is 83 years old, told the court that a driving ban would end her writing career and cause her emotional strain. She was fined £3,330 and ordered to pay £130 costs and a £1,332 victim surcharge in addition to the six-month ban.
- ▪La Plante pleaded guilty to five speeding offences between November 2025 and April this year.
- ▪She already had nine points on her licence from previous speeding offences in 2023 and 2025.
- ▪The court ordered a six-month driving ban due to the total points on her licence rising to 24.
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| Original publisher | BBC News — UK |
| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj36z5zydrgo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Mon, 03 Aug 2026 17:01:11 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-08-03T17:50:46.852Z |
| Last seen | 2026-08-03T17:50:46.852Z |
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| Cluster | GHkyMQHdDP1n · 1 stories |
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Author La Plante banned from driving for six monthsImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Crime author Lynda La Plante appeared in Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court on Monday over speeding offencesPublished49 minutes agoBest-selling crime author Lynda La Plante has been disqualified from driving for six months, despite tearfully telling the court a ban would end her writing career.The 83-year-old author and screenwriter told Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court she needed her car to meet criminals and sources for research into her next works of fiction.La Plante said a ban would also stop her driving to take her guard dog Theo for a walk in Roehampton Playing Fields - an emotional strain which would lead her to stop writing altogether.She pleaded guilty on Monday to breaking the 20mph speed…
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