27/3/2008

Surrey Local News

Ingrid Tarrant escapes driving ban

THE ex-wife of TV presenter Chris Tarrant has escaped a driving ban despite racking up 15 points on her driving licence in three years.

The former wife of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire presenter faced an automatic ban after she was caught using her handheld mobile phone for three miles while behind the wheel of her Silver Saab convertible in November and speeding along the Esher bypass last September.

Appearing at Woking Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Ingrid Tarrant, from Cobham, was allowed to keep her licence after she claimed her 16-year-old son would face unwarranted media attention if she was unable to drive him to and from school.

The court heard how the 53-year-old, who already had nine points on her driving licence from previous speeding offences, was spotted chatting on her mobile while driving along the Chertsey Road opposite Thorpe Park on November 27.

She carried on the conversation as she drove along the A320 up to Egham roundabout and continued onto the A308 causeway before she was pulled over by police.

On September 26, Tarrant’s Saab was zapped travelling at 63 miles per hour in a 50 mile per hour speed limit along the Esher bypass.

Defending, Miss Bailey pleaded "exceptional hardship" and told the court that Tarrant’s 16-year-old son was about to sit his GCSE’s and would face unwanted media attention if forced to take public transport or taxis to and from school.

Miss Bailey described her client as "asset rich but penny poor," and said she was unable to afford a regular taxi service until her divorce settlement was reached in a few months time.

She said: "She has the expectation of a more stable financial situation but she doesn’t have a very large income at all. She is in debt and her outgoings far exceed her income at the moment."

When asked whether her ex-husband Chris Tarrant would be able to offer her son a lift to and from school, Tarrant replied: "I don’t know, I haven’t asked him, I’m not in contact with the father. I’d really rather not be put in that position."

She added: "I don’t want to rely on him, I don’t want to feel indebted to him or reliant on him in any way, I really don’t."

She told the court that her impending divorce settlement was set to become topical in the papers and it would be "a nightmare" if she were banned from driving.

She said: "It is bad enough when I have got the security of my own car, at least I’m enclosed. I’m a sitting duck in every other situation, I’ve been followed in shops before. To be perfectly honest I couldn’t stand it, I have had such a dreadful time of this and I couldn’t bear it."

Chairman of the magistrate’s bench Gillian Hartley admitted Tarrant’s son was at a vulnerable stage in his life and allowed Tarrant to keep her licence.

She said: "We have no sympathy for the predicament you have found yourself in. On two separate occasions you have broken the law, knowing you have nine points on your licence."

Tarrant was given a further six points on her licence and ordered to pay a total of £601.

First printed in: News & Mail Series