Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby fined £510 for speeding in London

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Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby was found guilty of speeding and fined £510.

The Archbishop of Canterbury was found guilty of speeding, just days after he conducted King Charles’ coronation ceremony. Justin Welby, 67, was ordered to pay £510 in total for exceeding a 20mph limit near Lambeth Palace in London on October 2 last year.

The archbishop was also handed three penalty points after being caught by the speed camera in his Volkswagen Golf on the A3036 Albert Embankment. He was convicted in a private hearing at Lavender HIll Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (May 10), reported Sky News.

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The Church of England’s most senior cleric was travelling at 25mph when the offence occurred. Apparently, Mr Welby was unaware the case may be dealt with in court.

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. The spokesperson said: “He has tried to resolve this and pay the fine three times. He has all the paperwork to prove that he has tried to pay. Admin errors seem to be causing problems."

His conviction on Wednesday was on the same day he criticised the government’s controversial illegal migration bill as it faced its first test in the House of Lords. He condemned proposals to give ministers powers to deport asylum seekers crossing the Channel.

The head of the Church of England has previously slammed the Government’s plans to send those seeking asylum to Rwanda, saying the police did not stand the “judgement of God.”

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