Comedian Patrick Kielty escaped a driving ban today after being caught speeding at more than 100mph.
The Northern Irish television star had pleaded guilty to speeding at 101mph in the south of Scotland on December 27th last year.
Mr Kielty was fined Stg£1,200 and received six penalty points on his licence
Kielty, presenter of
Fame Academyand
Love Island, was fined Stg£1,200 (€1,516) and received six penalty points on his licence at Stranraer Sheriff Court today.
But with soaring petrol prices, the 37-year-old later joked that a ban would have saved him money.
He said leaving court: "I think it was a fair result.
"To be honest with you, with the price of petrol at the moment, I was sort of half looking forward to a ban.
"But it was a fair enough result."
Kielty was caught by police carrying out speed checks on the A75 Gretna to Stranraer road in Dumfries and Galloway as he drove to catch the ferry to Northern Ireland for a family visit.
His lawyer, Gerald Tierney, said Kielty normally flew and was therefore unfamiliar with the road.
"Having had a busy day working in London, his concentration slipped," he told the court.
"An error of judgment occurred."
Mr Tierney spoke of Kielty's involvement in "high-profile" charity events and smaller fundraisers such as golf tournaments.
He said it was these, lesser known charities which would suffer if Kielty was disqualified from driving.
Sheriff Thomas Millar said he would take into account the impact of a ban on the presenter's charity work and ordered a fine instead.
PA