Tevez receives six-month driving ban

Published Jan. 16, 2013 12:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez was disqualified from driving for six months after he failed to understand the word "constabulary" on official letters from the police, a court heard on Wednesday.

Tevez, 28, was disqualified from driving and ordered to pay a total in fines and costs of £1,540 at a hearing at Manchester Magistrates' Court.

The striker, who did not attend the hearing in person, pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to furnish information which relate to incidents in which his car was clocked speeding.

The court heard he received letters from the police in relation to the offenses but he failed to respond because he did not recognize the word 'constabulary'.

Tevez also admitted not having a proper UK driving license, but denied he was driving when his car was caught speeding.

The footballer's solicitor, Gwyn Lewis, told the court: "He does understand the word 'police', but not more complicated words. The letters are written from Cheshire Constabulary and the word police doesn't appear on it anywhere."

He said that was also the case in relation to the speeding office in Morecambe, which was pursued by Lancashire Constabulary.

"The word constabulary is not one that is recognized internationally, but of course police is," Mr Lewis said. The correspondence was not dealt with properly and that has resulted in these offenses."

When discussing the possibility of a fine, Mr Lewis told the bench: "He is a footballer and in that regard he is relatively well paid."