Frank Lampard escapes driving charge after being caught on camera 'using phone'
17 January 2022, 20:29
Former Chelsea football star Frank Lampard will no longer face court after prosecutors dropped a charge of using a mobile phone while driving.
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He was spotted whilst in traffic in South Kensington on April 27 last year by cyclist Mike Van Erp, who claimed the footballer had his phone in one hand and a coffee in the other.
The 43-year-old former Chelsea manager denied using his mobile phone while driving, and on Monday the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that the case would be dropped due to lack of evidence.
A CPS spokesman said: "After examining a file of evidence submitted by the Metropolitan Police Service, we concluded, in accordance with our legal test, there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction."
Mr Lampard hired Nick Freeman - a lawyer known as 'Mr Loophole' - to defend him after he had previously represented the footballer over motoring offences.
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The Loophole lawyer is known for securing acquittals for celebrities and back in 2012, managed to secure a £850 fine, in place of a driving ban, for Mr Lampard who was caught speeding at 84mph in a 50mph zone.
In 2011 the footballer was banned from driving for 90 days, reduced on appeal to 60 days, when he was prosecuted for driving at 90mph on the same stretch of road.
The cyclist who captured the video, slammed the decision today, telling Road.cc: "I think he's gotten off scot-free as the case was discontinued.
"A couple of coppers have said the justice system is broken and they are binning cases left and right to reduce the massive backlog."
The cyclist is known for capturing road users breaking the law with his highest profile snag being Guy Ritchie when he was banned from driving for six months.
Mr van Erp claims to have reported over 350 drivers breaking the law during 2020 stating he is the reason behind 574 penalty points being dished out alongside £35,400 of fines.
