Getty/ GOAL/ CPS
Getty/ GOAL/ CPS
Getty/ GOAL/ CPSAccording to The Sun, Fofana was caught speeding and weaving through traffic on the A3 Esher Bypass in Hook, Surrey. The incident was caught on a dashcam and the footage was presented in court. While the Blues star was spared jail time for what was his ninth driving offence at the age of 25, he has been ordered to serve 300 hours of unpaid community service. He has also been hit with a fresh 18-month driving ban, although his licence is suspended until May 2027 for previous offences. The Frenchman has also been ordered to pay just £85 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge. The video below was shared by the Crown Prosecution Service.
District Judge Julie Cooper slammed Fofana inside the courtroom for setting the wrong example for young people who look up to professional footballers like him.
She said: "You obviously realise there are a lot of young people who look up to you and they would like to be like you and follow you. That’s part of the whole gig. However, they will not be able to afford these expensive cars, with all their additions that keep them safe and you could have some 17-year-old, who has just passed their test, who think they can copy you. They will not be able to handle their car and do some ridiculous driving manoeuvres and they are dead. You need to be much more responsible about your behaviour."
Prosecutor Rabbi Khan said: "The witness identified the danger and this defendant was driving on the hard shoulder at speed in a 50mph zone. The offence is aggravated by an approaching bend that was signposted and he is not indicating when making these manoeuvres. He refused to abide by the road rules at speed."
Getty Images SportRepresenting Fofana, his solicitor Imogen Cox told the court: "The video speaks for itself – 15 to 20 seconds of driving that are conceded. There is no explanation or excuse for his driving on that day. He attended voluntarily for an interview at Guildford Police Station and apologised for driving and said he had learned a valuable lesson about his driving and had no explanation for his driving on that day. This offence pre-dates the speeding offences, which were all within a seven-month period and tied-up at Lavender Hill. He is essentially of good character, having no criminal convictions against him. He is fit and healthy and able to carry out community work."
This incident happened only months after Fofana was caught speeding in his white Rolls Royce Cullinan, a blue 4.0 litre Audi and his Lamborghini Urus. Several of the offences were on his route to and from Chelsea's training ground at Cobham, which is a 50mph zone. He was caught speeding at 77mph, 68mph, 90mph, 88mph and 67mph on five separate occasions. Fofana admitted all the offences and was also fined a total of £5,328, plus a £2,131 victim surcharge and £110 costs at Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court. The defender had previously been disqualified for six months in January 2023 and was involved in a car crash involving Eastenders star Dean Gaffney that left the actor with a broken collarbone in December 2022. He already had 47 points on his licence and the fresh incident helped collect 38 more.