MANCHESTER United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka has today been banned from driving for six months and fined more than £30,000.
The 24-year-old defender admitted earlier this year to driving while disqualified and without insurance after being stopped by cops in Manchester on June 23.
Ahead of a scheduled trial, the United right-back also pleaded guilty today to failing to provide driver details for two speeding offences in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in September 2020.
Lawyers for the footballer said he was in a “state of complete ignorance” of the Yorkshire driving matters as the letters had been sent to his former house in Croydon, London.
The failure to reply led to a six-month ban imposed at Leeds Magistrates’ Court in his absence on June 18 – just five days before his Lamborghini Urus was seized by police on the A34 after officers stopped him.
Wan-Bissaka, who lives with his partner and one-year-old child in Hale, Greater Manchester, already had six points on his licence from a conviction in London in April last year, the court heard.
Shaun Draycott, defending, told Manchester Magistrates’ Court: “When he was stopped on the A34 he was courteous and respectful to the officers, and he indicated to them he had no idea he was disqualified.”
He said arrangements had been made for Wan-Bissaka’s agent to visit his former London house to ensure his affairs were in order following his transfer to United in 2019.
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He explained the property was undergoing refurbishment when the Yorkshire speeding letters would have been sent and the address had been rented out.
Mr Draycott said: “I think the refurbishment issue may have caused some difficulty. He felt matters had been put in hand and plainly they had not, and he must now pay the price for that.”
He accepted that Win-Bissaka had failed to notify the DVLA of his change of address in 2019.
Sentencing, District Judge Bernard Begley said at least “six or seven letters” would have been sent to the Croydon address – but he accepted Wan-Bissaka was unaware he was disqualified in June this year.
Banning him from the road for six months from today, Judge Begley told the footballer: “Whether it was wise for you in the circumstances to delegate the tasks in relation to moving from the London address to Manchester is a matter you will have to reflect upon.”
Wan-Bissaka received a fine of £30,000 for driving while disqualified.
He was also handed fines totalling £1,500 for failing to give information on the speeding matters.
He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge fee of £190 and court costs of £160.
It comes weeks after he was carried off on a stretcher after colliding with advertising boards at the end of United’s draw against Young Boys.
He went in for a challenge just as the full-time whistle of the 1-1 draw was blown.
But Wan-Bissaka, who grew up in South London but now has a home near Wilmslow in Cheshire, ended up flying into the Old Trafford hoardings separating the crowd from the pitch.
He looked to be in agonising pain as he lay on the floor, and there were worrying scenes as a stretcher was summoned by medics.
Concerned onlookers watched on as Wan-Bissaka was taken off the pitch.
Wan-Bissaka began his career with Crystal Palace and was named as the club’s Player of the Year for the 2018–19 season.
The right-back joined United from Crystal Palace for £50million in 2019.
Upon signing, Wan-Bissaka became the sixth-most expensive defender of all time.
At the end of his first season at United, he had made the highest number of tackles in the season.
Wan-Bissaka has made 124 appearances for United.
He’s also made appearances for England at U20 and U21 level.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
