Darren Bent and George McCartney caught speeding
Aug 17 2010 by Adam Jupp, The Journal
BLACK Cats striker Darren Bent escaped a driving ban after he was caught speeding through the streets of Tyneside in his luxury Range Rover.
The £10m striker became a firm fans’ favourite after bagging 25 goals in his first season with Sunderland.
But the frontman landed himself in trouble when he smashed a speed limit driving through Newcastle in his £50,000 Range Rover.
Bent, 26, was clocked doing 50mph on the 30mph Barrack Road, near to St James’ Park, and yesterday narrowly avoided a driving ban after admitting the offence at the city’s magistrates’ court.
The England star, whose address is listed as being in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, was hit with four penalty points – on top of six he already has for previous speeding convictions – and a £500 fine. Meanwhile, a fellow Black Cat is close to running out of lives after he too was caught going too fast by a police car.
Full-back George McCartney was spotted reaching speeds of more than 100mph as he drove along the A696, close to Newcastle International Airport.
And because the 29-year-old also already has six points on his licence – and due to the excessive speed he was doing – McCartney has been ordered to appear before the court in person, where he could be banned from the roads.
Justin Gibson, prosecuting, told how a patrol car spotted his silver BMW driving quickly along the dual-carriageway and gave chase, at 9.17am on May 7.
But because the Northern Ireland international was going so fast, the officer could not keep up, despite doing 100mph himself.
Eventually, another vehicle pulled out in front of McCartney, who has had two spells at Sunderland, causing him to slow down and he was pulled over and spoken to.
