Ian Brown escapes driving ban

Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown has escaped a driving ban after arguing he needs his car to visit his elderly parents.
At a hearing in Stockport, England last Friday (16Sep16) Brown pleaded guilty to travelling at 37 miles per hour (mph) (59.5 kilometres per hour) on a stretch of road with a 30 mph (48.2 kph) speed limit near the town.
The 53-year-old rock superstar faced disqualification from driving under U.K. law after receiving three penalty points on his licence, taking him to the limit of 12.
According to editors at Britain’s Manchester Evening News, magistrate Pauline McArdle decided not to ban the star after he argued it would cause him and his family “exceptional hardship”.
The Fools Gold singer’s lawyer Paul Reddy claimed suspending his licence would hinder him in visiting his father George, 81, and mother Jean, 79, and helping them buy groceries.
“The circumstances are that his parents are both elderly and immobile,” Reddy told the court. “His mother has had a knee replacement. It falls to Mr Brown to look after them on a day to day basis.”
The lawyer also argued that the ban would leave him struggling to attend Stone Roses rehearsals and visit his son in London.
Ruling that Brown would keep his licence, the magistrate said, “Mr Brown, we are dealing with an offence of speeding. What we have decided having listened to the arguments put forward, we are going to endorse your licence with three penalty points. We are not going to do the ban.”
However the rocker was told that should he face another speeding charge he would not be able to plead for special dispensation again.
The Stone Roses are believed to be working on their third album, their first in 22 years.
The band have already released new material this year (16) in the shape of two singles, All For One and Beautiful Thing.