Renowned British rapper, Stormzy, has been handed a nine-month driving ban after being caught using a mobile phone while behind the wheel of a Rolls-Royce in London.
The 31-year-old artist, born Michael Ebenazer Owuo Junior, pleaded guilty via a letter to the court for the incident that occurred on Addison Road in west Kensington in March last year.
District Judge Andrew Sweet criticized Stormzy’s actions as “dangerous and irresponsible,” pointing out that the rapper already had six points on his driving license due to previous speeding offenses.
Stormzy’s solicitor acknowledged his client’s mistake and accepted responsibility for the offense during the hearing at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court.
The court was informed that an off-duty police officer had approached Stormzy’s vehicle, urging him to remove the tints on his windows and get off his phone. Despite initially denying the accusation, Stormzy later changed his plea in a letter to the court.
This is not the first driving infraction for Stormzy, as he had previously admitted to driving a Lamborghini Urus with illegally tinted front windows, allowing only 4% light transmission instead of the required 70%.
The prosecutor highlighted the danger posed by such modifications, stating that they put vulnerable road users at risk.
In response, Stormzy’s defense lawyer expressed his client’s remorse and confirmed that the tints had been removed from the vehicle.
The judge imposed a £2,010 fine on Stormzy, in addition to adding six more points to his driving license, which he did not contest in court.
