Inter star John Stones hit with court fine and driving penalty after missing police correspondence during World Cup duty with England

Stones has been convicted of a speeding offence and handed a significant court bill, as per The Independent. The 32-year-old was caught driving his Range Rover at 43mph in a 30mph zone near his Cheshire property in May.

Stones readily admitted to being the driver when initially contacted by Cheshire Police. However, the England international failed to respond to a crucial second letter. This document offered him the chance to pay a fixed penalty and keep the offence out of court.

Because of the missed correspondence, the case escalated to the Single Justice Procedure. A magistrate issued the defender with four penalty points and ordered him to pay a £666 fine. He must also cover £120 in costs and a £266 victim surcharge.

The missed letter occurred because Stones was away representing England at the World Cup. He wrote a letter to Warrington Magistrates Court to explain his prolonged absence from his Cheshire residence.

Stones fully accepted the speeding charge in his written correspondence. He explained that a combination of international duty, a summer holiday, and a major transfer caused the unfortunate administrative error.

"Nothing to say about the speeding," Stones wrote to the court. "The reason I am only responding to the offence now is because I represent our country for football and so I have not been home and seen any post. I sent off my letter on the 28th May to give my details, I went off to join England. We were there until the 19th July."

Stones detailed his busy summer schedule to the magistrates to provide full context. He noted that he sent off his initial driving details on May 28 before reporting for England duty. He then remained at the World Cup tournament until July 19. The defender subsequently took a post-tournament holiday before sealing his summer transfer to Inter. As a result, his British home was left completely empty for almost four months. The legal letters simply piled up unnoticed during this period.

"I went on holiday and then moved to Milan, so this has been found by chance," Stones added. "This is the reason I also would not be able to be present as I no longer am residing in the country."

With the legal matter now completely resolved, Stones can focus fully on the next chapter of his career. The experienced centre-back will be eager to impress at Inter as he adapts to life in Italy.