David Beckham enlists 'Mr Loophole' Nick Freeman to fight speeding charge

Culled from SKY

David Beckham has enlisted a lawyer known for helping celebrities get off driving charges to help him fight a speeding allegation.

The former England captain is accused of driving a Bentley at 59mph in a 40mph zone on the A40 in Paddington at shortly after 5.30pm on 23 January.

Beckham, 43, entered a not guilty plea last month and solicitor Nick Freeman - whose clients have included the likes of ex-cricketer Andrew Flintoff, former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina - will defend him based on the fact that he received his prosecution notice a day late.

Image:Solicitor Nick Freeman, known as Mr Loophole, has defended a number of celebrities facing driving-related charges

Mr Freeman told a case management hearing at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Tuesday that there was "no issue" with the alleged speed Beckham was driving, but that the notice had arrived one day outside the statutory 14-day window and was therefore "defective".

"I'm not disputing it wasn't served - I'm saying it was served out of time," he said.

"There's no issue in terms of driving or speed limit. There's no issue taken with that at all."

Beckham - who played for United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain during his club career - was not present for the hearing and is also not expected to attend his trial on 27 September.