Defoe motoring charge is dropped

Defoe was charged with permitting the use of a vehicle without a licence

Tottenham and England footballer Jermain Defoe has had motoring charges against him dismissed.

Defoe, 26, of Cuffley, Hertfordshire, was accused of unlawfully allowing his cousin to use his Range Rover in Essex last year.

His lawyer, Nick Freeman, known as "Mr Loophole" for his success in clearing clients of motoring offences, said key evidence had been ruled inadmissible.

Essex Magistrates' Courts confirmed the case was no longer listed.

Defoe had faced charges of permitting the use of a vehicle without a licence, permitting the use of a vehicle without insurance and an offence connected to the vehicle's tinted windows.

'Hearsay' evidence

Mr Freeman said: "The prosecution's evidence rested on the telephone call the police officer made at the roadside. He believed he was talking to my client when in fact he wasn't.

"When the Crown Prosecution Service applied to admit this evidence we opposed it on the grounds it was hearsay and therefore inadmissible.

"Our defence was successful, the CPS decided not appeal and, therefore, as there was no prosecution evidence, the case against Mr Defoe was dropped."

The case comes days after Defoe's half-brother, Jade, 26, died from head injuries following an assault in Leytonstone, east London.

Defoe's cousin, Ryan Edgar, of Plaistow, east London, is due to face accusations of using a motor vehicle without third party insurance, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and using a motor vehicle in a condition likely to cause danger.