Former HBOS Chairman Lord Stevenson has avoided a driving ban after being caught speeding four times on the same road.
The life peer, 79, whose full name is Henry Dennistoun Stevenson, appeared at Bromley Magistrates Court where he successfully fought a driving ban – after speeding along Vauxhall Bridge Road.
He was elevated to the House of Lords in 1999 as Lord Stevenson of Coddenham and sat on the cross benches until his retirement in 2023.
The father-of-four, who was accompanied by his wife Charlotte Vanneck – daughter of former Lord Mayor of London Sir Peter Vanneck – had accumulated twelve penalty points on his licence.
He pleaded guilty to driving his 1.6 litre blue Mini Cooper over the 20mph speed limit twice on May 19, last year.
Lord Stevenson already has six penalty points on his licence for two similar speeding offences on the same stretch of road, committed on August 20 and 24, last year.
The two speeding offences on May 19 each carry three penalty points, bringing his total to twelve and triggering an automatic six-month disqualification.
However, drivers can claim special circumstances to avoid a ban and Lord Stevenson told the court losing his licence would impede his charity and business work and commitments to his grandchildren.
He was caught on camera driving at 24mph and 27 mph on May 19 while driving one of his eleven grandchildren to a piano test, near his home in Ashley Gardens, Thirleby Road, Westminster.
He told the court today: ‘I am a musician, although not a very good one, an amateur and I do like playing the piano with my grandchildren and on this day there was a piano grade test.
‘So blame my grandchildren,’ he joked. ‘Up until recently the speed limit on that stretch of road had been 30mph.
‘In the words of my grandson I feel like a total plonker and a complete idiot. I feel extremely silly and I am very sorry on behalf of my fellow citizenry.’
When asked by his lawyer Sasha Laurel if he was a man of ‘good character’ Lord Stevenson quipped: ‘Well, I’m not sure everybody would say that,’ before confirming he had never been in trouble with the police.
The loss of his licence would impede his ‘love and joy of visiting the grandchildren,’ the peer told the hearing.
‘I have eleven grandchildren and I am often asked by one of my daughters-in-law to do a pick-up and often find myself sitting and waiting while parked outside of a school.
‘I had never been to Bromley before, but two weeks ago my twelve year-old granddaughter was playing a soccer match here. It was absolutely freezing cold.’
Lord Stevenson now also requires the assistance of a walking stick.
‘I blame my wife really. After twenty years I agreed to move home and I was picking-up something heavy and slipped a disc.
‘At the hospital they found, could you believe, five fractures in my spine.’
He told the court he founded a mental health charity after finding himself in a mental health crisis, aged fifty years-old and also founded an international mediation group.
He was founding Chair of MQ: Transforming Mental Health and is a trustee of Inter Mediate, which works in dangerous conflict zones and brought him in contact with the President of Colombia.
The ability to drive would allow him to quickly visit suicidal individuals he has met via his charity work, Lord Stevenson told the magistrates and also to get to his office a mile away from his home near Westminster Cathedral.
The peer said he also often had other business meetings to attend during the day.
Bench Chairwoman Brenda Henderson told Lord Stevenson: ‘These six points would ordinarily lead to a disqualification, because you have twelve penalty points.
‘We are mindful of your mental health charity work and the reliance on members of your charity to have access to you in a short period of time so we are not going to disqualify you.
‘You mentioned in your evidence ‘hurrying around’ a lot and we suggest you do not hurry around. Twenty mph is a good speed to be going at, even in a thirty mph zone.’
Lord Stevenson was fined £500 for each of the two speeding offence, plus £110 costs and was ordered to pay a £400 surcharge
‘Thank-you for your advice about not hurrying around. My wife has been saying that for years,’ he told the magistrates. ‘Thank-you for being so understanding.’
Ms Henderson warned the peer: ‘If you find yourself in court again you cannot put forward the circumstances you have today to avoid a disqualification.’
‘I will not be back in court,’ he replied, before leaving with his wife.
Cambridge-educated Lord Stevenson established the SRU Consultancy Group after he graduated and has also sat on the boards of Tyne Tees and Thames Television and BSkyB.
He was a Trustee of the Tate Gallery for over ten years and in 1999 became chairman of Halifax and stayed as chairman of HBOS after a merger with Bank of Scotland.