Joe Cole has pleaded guilty to speeding after he was caught driving at 24mph in a 20mph zone near Wandsworth Common in south London. The 37-year-old actor now faces a penalty decision in private, after opting out of a court appearance.
May 28 plea
The guilty plea was entered by the single justice procedure on May 28 this year. That route allows a magistrate to deal with a low-level offence without the defendant coming to court, which is why the case now moves straight to a private penalty decision.
Cole was at the wheel of a BMW 1 Series when he was recorded above the limit. The figure is small, but the legal process is not: once a plea is entered, the remaining question is the sanction, not the breach itself.
Abroad and no paperwork
In court documents, he wrote: “I am an actor and have been abroad for the last few months.” He also wrote: “I have not received relevant documentation for me to pay the fine for this offence.”
That leaves the case in an awkward middle ground. He has admitted the offence, but he has also said he did not have the paperwork needed to deal with the fine, which is why the matter is now being handled without his attendance.
John Shelby and beyond
Cole is best known for playing John Shelby in Peaky Blinders, and he also appeared in Black Mirror and Gangs Of London. He broke through in the sixth series of Skins, then starred in the Stephen Knight gangster series from 2013 to 2017 before being killed off in 2017.
He was also nominated for a Bafta after starring in the Black Mirror episode Hang the DJ. The penalty now sits with the magistrate, and the only live question is how that private decision lands after a plea already on the record.
