Celtic manager Neil Lennon banned from driving after speeding on notorious A9, he brands the guilty verdict nonsense, maybe he should ‘campaign’ for an exemption to the Laws of Scotland since he clearly doesn’t like guilty verdicts, jog on son!

Dear All

If you get caught speeding, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has been banned from driving for six months after being found guilty of speeding.

The spot that he was playing ‘boyracer; is a notorious accident blackspot on the A9 in Perthshire.

The A9 is a dangerous road, when people were wondering how to help reduce fatalities, my first thought was that average speed cameras was the right solution, I am sure you can google and find my suggestion somewhere. It also turned out to be the view of the Transport Minister a few days later.

Anyway, rather than lump it and be stoic, Neil Lennon has decided he is not happy with the verdict, well you wouldn’t be.

In a show of the petted lip, he has branded the verdict "nonsense."

He was disqualified under the totting up procedure, if you accumulate too many points, then you get banned, Lennon, 42, already had nine points on his driving licence when he was caught.

The solution to any speeding problem is simple, you leave earlier.

Neil Lennon obviously likes driving, and why shouldn’t he; it’s fun, however Lennon seems to need to retake his driving test in my opinion, he was cleared on a tech­nicality on another driving charge just weeks ago.

His continual habit of trying to use loopholes to avoid being found guilty isn’t terribly dignified in his position!

He is supposed to be a role model, perhaps he should act like one.

However, you have to admire his cheek, as he tried to persuade Perth's Justice of the Peace Court that the Gatso radar machine that clocked him driving at 83 miles per hour was not accurate.

His ‘brief’, Liam O'Donnell, wanted the case to be thrown out on its ear because the certificate produced by the Crown in evidence made no mention of the Gatso being accurate at the time.

Some people will try it on, but in Lennon’s case, Justice of the Peace Allan Robertson rejected the no case to answer sub­mission.

Then he found Lennon guilty of speeding on the Perth-Stirling dual carriageway.

Mr Robertson said:

"I have taken time to consider all the evidence before me and I believe the Crown has put forward the case beyond reasonable doubt and therefore I find you guilty. You were sitting on nine live points and when somebody reaches that tally they should be very careful about how they conduct themselves on the road. I am going to add four penalty points to your licence, which will take you over the threshold for totting up [12 points] and you will incur a six-month disqualification from driving."

Win some lose some!

Neil Lennon was also fined £260 and given one month to pay the fine in full.

He got off cheap on the fine, so happy endings all round it seems, bar one, the Crown is happy, the public are happy, his lawyer is happy.

Lennon added:

"You saw it for yourself. I do want to say something about it."

Maybe given the circumstances of Scottish independence going so badly for Alex Salmond and Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that Neil Lennon should apply for an exemption from the Laws of Scotland on the sole basis he doesn’t like guilty verdicts.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University