UK
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby fined £510 for speeding
The Archbishop of Canterbury was convicted of speeding just days after the King’s coronation.
Justin Welby, 67, was ordered to pay £510 in total for exceeding a 20mph limit near Lambeth Palace on 2 October last year.
The archbishop was also handed three penalty points after being caught by a speed camera in his Volkswagen Golf on the A3036 Albert Embankment.
The Archbishop of Canterbury criticised government policy in the House of Lords on Wednesday – the same day as the conviction. Pic: House of Lords
He was convicted in a private hearing at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday – the same day he criticised the government’s plans to tackle the issue of migrants crossing the Channel on small boats as “morally unacceptable and politically impractical”.
King Charles III is crowned with St Edward’s Crown by the archbishop during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey
The conviction, first reported by the Evening Standard, came just days after Mr Welby led the King’s coronation ceremony.
Mr Welby admitted the offence online – he was handed a £300 fine and ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge and £90 in costs.
The prosecution was conducted through the Single Justice Procedure, which allows the court to deal with the matter through written evidence in a private hearing.
A Lambeth Palace spokeswoman said the archbishop was aware of the speeding offence but had not been notified that it had gone to court.
“He has tried to resolve this and pay the fine three times,” the spokesperson said.
“He has all the paperwork to prove that he has tried to pay. Admin errors seem to be causing problems.”