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Noel Gallagher, renowned for never acquiring a driver’s license, has received a six-month driving suspension due to a collection of outstanding speeding fines.
The Oasis luminary and frontman for High Flying Birds relies on a £120,000 chauffeured Range Rover for transportation, a decision made during the Brit Pop era of the 1990s when he abandoned the notion of obtaining a personal driver’s license.
In June, despite his non-driver status, Noel Gallagher faced legal issues related to a speeding ticket concerning his Range Rover, as reported by the Standard.
Gallagher’s chauffeur took responsibility for the incident, admitting to driving the speeding vehicle and failing to respond to letters from the Metropolitan Police. However, it was Gallagher himself, as the registered owner of the Range Rover, who faced prosecution. This resulted in him accumulating six penalty points on his driving license, a fine of £742, and additional costs and court fees amounting to £396.
More legal trouble awaited Gallagher at Lavender Hill Magistrates Court later on. He faced charges for two additional speeding tickets that had gone unaddressed in January and February of that year, before he had resolved the previous issue.
Magistrates imposed an additional 12 penalty points on his license, bringing the total to 18 points and triggering an automatic six-month driving ban. In addition to the ban, Gallagher was ordered to pay fines of £1,340, prosecution costs of £110, and a court fee of £536.
In a letter submitted to the court, Gallagher took full responsibility for the unanswered letters sent to his 18th Century country estate in Hampshire, without mentioning his absence of a driving license.
“I did not personally receive the notice or the reminder, and neither were brought to my attention by my staff”, he said.
“I have a team of people who assist me with the management of my personal and business matters, which includes correspondence that is sent to my home address.
“I acknowledge that it is my responsibility as the registered keeper of a motor vehicle to ensure that suitable and effective arrangements are in place to safeguard against important correspondence not being dealt with as required.”
Gallagher said after the previous court case “necessary improvements have been implemented”, adding: “Once my management team notified me about the receipt of the court documentation concerning this matter, the original notice was completed, identifying the driver, and returned.
“I confirm my willingness to pay the financial penalties imposed by the court.
“I understand the court will be considering disqualification and I am content for the court to proceed in my absence. Please note that I am currently abroad due to work commitments.”
The statement implies that Gallagher won’t personally operate a vehicle for the upcoming six months, but he can still enjoy the convenience of having a chauffeur.
The famous artist behind “Don’t Look Back In Anger” admitted his guilt regarding two counts of not providing information to the police about the driver of his car.
Back in April, during an interview with Zoe Ball on Radio 2, Gallagher revealed that he abandoned driving lessons in the 1990s due to overwhelming fan attention.
“I’m in a red Nissan Micra with a massive great big triangle on the top of it with an L, with all these kids coming out”, he said. “This is at the height of Oasis mania. I was like, ‘never, never again am I getting in a car’.”
In late May, he faced initial prosecution when his vehicle was recorded traveling at 41mph in a 30mph zone along the A40 near Edgware Road station back in October of the previous year.
The driver employed by the celebrity, Alan Neeson, corresponded with the court to provide an explanation for the unanswered police letters.
“I am solely responsible for correspondence and other matters regarding vehicles”, he said.
“Even though the vehicle involved in said offence is registered to Mr Gallagher, (he) does not hold a driving license hence why I am sending this statement.
“The initial offence charge sheet was never received and the final reminder was not received until mid-January. I believe the reason for this is, as well publicised, there was a postal strike before Christmas which I believe led to this delay.
“This coupled with the Christmas post is the only logical explanation as to why these letter was received so late.”
In the most recent legal actions, Gallagher’s Range Rover was recorded exceeding the speed limit, going at 35mph on November 30 of the previous year and 41mph on January 2, both instances in violation of the 30mph limit.
According to court records, warnings of prosecution were dispatched on December 6, January 10, January 13, and February 17, but remained unaddressed.
Gallagher has been granted a one-week period to settle the accumulated legal expenses, amounting to £1,986.
