Clarkson speeding case dismissed

The prosecution said there was no evidence to offer in the case

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been acquitted of a motoring offence.

Mr Clarkson had been accused of failing to name the driver on a speeding ticket sent to him by car company Alfa Romeo.

The company said he had been loaned a car caught by a speed camera travelling at 82 MPH in a 50 MPH zone on the A40 in Ruislip, west London, last October.

His solicitor, Nick Freeman, argued the case was "fatally flawed" as Alfa Romeo only had details of who the car was loaned to, not who the driver was.

If someone had looked at this process properly it would never have come to court Nick Freeman, Mr Clarkson's solicitor

The City of London Magistrates' Court dismissed the charge after the prosecution offered no evidence in relation to the case.

Speaking outside court, Mr Freeman said: "If someone had looked at this process properly it would never have come to court."

He added that prosecutors should have gone back to Alfa Romeo instead of chasing Clarkson.

Mr Freeman said the end of the case was an enormous weight off Mr Clarkson's mind.

The television presenter, who lives in Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, was not present in court and was awarded costs.