Former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has been convicted of two speeding offences after being caught driving a Porsche and a Bentley at excessive speeds in Herefordshire. The 56-year-old, known as The Hamster, faced prosecution by West Mercia Police following incidents in December 2025. He pleaded guilty through his lawyers and was sentenced at Telford Magistrates' Court last week.
Court Proceedings and Penalties
Magistrate Ann Minton imposed a total financial penalty of £1,771, comprising a £333 fine, a £666 fine, £240 costs, and £532 in victim surcharges. Hammond also received seven penalty points on his driving licence. The cases were handled under the Single Justice Procedure, a fast-track process for low-level criminal cases, during which 39 defendants were convicted of driving offences on July 22.
Details of the Speeding Incidents
The first offence occurred just before 1pm on December 2, 2025, when a police officer using a handheld speed camera recorded Hammond's Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo travelling at 68mph in a 50mph zone on the A40 in Pencraig, Herefordshire. The second took place at about 11.45am on December 22, 2025, on the A50 Rudhall Overbridge, also in Herefordshire, where his Bentley Continental GT was clocked at 82mph in a 70mph limit. The two incidents were separated by just three weeks.
Police Investigation and Property Searches
Court documents reveal that West Mercia Police encountered difficulties in locating Hammond to serve speeding tickets. Letters were sent to several of his properties, including a Grade II* listed castle in Herefordshire that he purchased in 2012, and a £1 million farm estate near Hereford. However, these were returned marked 'addressee gone away'. Officers eventually tracked him to a £2 million mansion near Abergavenny, Wales, where more than 30 vehicles are currently registered. The police relied on speed camera images of Hammond driving both luxury cars to prove the offences.
Additional Charges Withdrawn
In addition to the speeding charges, Hammond faced two further allegations of failing to identify himself as the driver after ignoring police letters. According to court papers, the police noted an earlier driving offence in August 2025. However, Hammond's solicitor wrote to the court denying these claims, stating: 'He replied identifying himself as the driver. He sent the reply by First Class post. He posted the reply himself.' The police subsequently withdrew those extra charges.
Hammond, who co-hosted Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May from 2002 to 2015 before launching The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime, has a history of driving incidents. In 2006, he survived a near-fatal crash at 320mph in a jet car while filming. In 2013, he and Clarkson received a three-month driving ban in France for speeding during a show episode. The latest offenses add to his record, resulting in a significant fine and penalty points.
