Crime novelist Lynda La Plante has been handed a six-month driving ban after pleading guilty to five counts of speeding.
La Plante, 83, admitted to exceeding the 20mph speed limit near her home in Kingston-upon-Thames on five occasions between November 2025 and April of this year. The court heard that she already had nine points on her license from previous speeding offenses in 2023 and 2025. Her license now totals 24 points.
The author, best known for the "Prime Suspect" series, told magistrates that a driving disqualification would effectively end her writing career. She explained that her work requires her to meet with various sources, including criminals, in diverse locations such as motorway cafes, homeless shelters, prisons, and theaters. She stated that she would be unable to conduct essential research if she could not drive to meet these contacts, adding that such a ban would force her to stop writing altogether. La Plante also contended that she would have to rehome her dog, Theo, if she could no longer drive him to his daily walks, suggesting the emotional toll would further damage her career.
Her lawyer, Nick Freeman, known as 'Mr Loophole,' argued that driving is a vital part of La Plante's life and that she would wind up her writing company, potentially putting four staff members out of work. However, magistrate Mandy Lamplough ruled that La Plante had not provided sufficient evidence of 'exceptional hardship.'
La Plante admitted to driving at speeds of 24mph twice, 25mph, 26mph, and 27mph in the restricted 20mph zone. She stated that she was concentrating on driving safely due to what she described as "very confusing" road signs on the A308 in Kingston-upon-Thames.
In addition to the driving ban, La Plante was fined a total of £3,330, ordered to pay £130 in costs, and a £1,332 victim surcharge.
La Plante, who was awarded a CBE in 2008 for her contributions to literature, drama, and charity, developed the hit TV series "Widows" in the 1980s and "Prime Suspect" in 1991.