London: England all-rounder Ben Stokes may well find himself behind the bars if he is caught driving anytime in the next six months. He has been warned by the Northallerton Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to speeding four times within the last two years.
Stokes, who is recovering from a knee injury picked up in the 1st Test against Sri Lanka, is spending some time away from the England team before the ODI series against Sri Lanka kicks off.
Stokes admitted in the court that he had driven at an average speed of 75mph on a 50mph limit section on the morning of September 20, a day after top-scoring in a match against Australia. He also admitted to driving at an average speed of 61mph on August 26, two days after taking 3 wickets in the final Ashes Test match of the year.
The court subsequently handed him with a 6-month (December 14, 2016) ban from driving. If he is found guilty of going against the judgment, Stokes can be imprisoned.
After the judgment, Stokes’ counsel Laura Nash said that he would neither drive a car nor speed till the end of this year. She also said that his fiancee would take the burden of driving his children to nursery.
"He also faces the embarrassment of having to declare the disqualification to his employers, Durham and the ECB (England Cricket Board). He is very much aware that this sends out the wrong message, that a professional sportsman has been captured speeding on four separate occasions," she was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.
Magistrate Anna Ramsden also fined Stokes £830, and pronounced that Stokes would face a jail term if found behind a wheel before December 14.