The former Coronation Street star was banned from driving at Wirral Magistrates’ Court this afternoon
Helen Flanagan arriving at Wirral Magistrates’ Court this afternoon(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Former Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan wept in court as she was banned from driving after allegedly being caught speeding twice within a matter of weeks. The 34-year-old, who played Rosie Webster in the ITV soap, appeared before Wirral Magistrates’ Court this afternoon, Wednesday, after being convicted of two counts of failing to give information relating to the identification of the driver of a vehicle when required.
It came after the mum-of-three failed to respond to notices of intended prosecution asking her to identify who was behind the wheel of her Audi Q7 when it was clocked travelling above the speed limit on Scotland Road and the M57 in June last year. Flanagan however claimed that she believed her boyfriend Robbie Talbot had responded to the police notices in order to identify himself as being the driver.
The two charges were previously proven in her absence during an earlier hearing and she faced a driving disqualification under the totting up procedure, with each of the counts coming with six penalty points attached to them. However, she returned to the same court today in a bid to keep her licence on the grounds of “exceptional hardship”.
Helen Flanagan arriving at Wirral Magistrates’ Court this afternoon(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Stephen Kirk, prosecuting, described how Flanagan’s Audi was caught travelling at 42mph in a 30mph zone on Scotland Road, near to the junction with Dryden Street in Kirkdale, at 1.16pm on June 6 last year. At 11.16am on June 25 2024, the same vehicle was caught travelling at 51mph in a 40mph zone near to junction six of the M57 at Kirkby.
Flanagan, who has six previous penalty points for speeding, was sworn in on the bible before being questioned by her own solicitor Patrick Boyers and told the court: “I’m a single mum, I live on my own. I live in the middle of the moors. There’s no shop nearby. I think it’s a 10 minute drive. It is very remote. I live there with my three children.
When asked about public transport, Flanagan said: “It’s difficult. I find it very difficult. I would really struggle without a car with my children anyway. It’s really remote. You can’t just go and get some bread or milk.
“Nursery is really important for my little boy. I’m a single mum, so it gives me a bit of a break. It’s a bit of a drive to get there. The only way I would be able to get him to nursery is by Uber. That would be very expensive. I’m really struggling at the moment financially.”
Helen Flanagan arriving at Wirral Magistrates’ Court this afternoon(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The court also heard that Flanagan attends therapy session in Birmingham relating to post-natal depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. She stated that she did not find remote Zoom calls with her therapist as “effective as face to face” and said: “She really helps me. I drive every eight weeks or every few months, whenever I’m struggling with my mental health I go and see Liz. It really helps me.
“It is a drive. I have to drive from Bolton to Birmingham. I do struggle with anxiety. I have terrible OCD. It does really impact my life in general.”
Flanagan, who was said to earn an estimated £70,000 per year, was meanwhile questioned on her financial situation, of which she added: “My job really is being a mummy at home. Their dad works away. I earn money on social media, but it kind of varies really what I earn.
“I used to earn quite well from it, but I haven’t done so well the past year. I think it’s just what happens sometimes. It’s just what happens really.”
Flanagan meanwhile detailed how she drives to meet the father of her children, former Chelsea and Manchester City footballer Scott Sinclair, at a service station as a halfway point between their respective homes. She said of this: “It’s really important to my children to see their dad. It would be impossible for me to get a driver.
“It would be far too expensive. My boyfriend doesn’t have a car. It would be very difficult for me to get there. I would hate to put a burden on my parents. They’re in their late 60s. It’s a little bit difficult for me to talk about.”
Flanagan appeared to become tearful at this stage as she added: “My brother has really bad mental health. They had to fly out to Bangkok to see him, where he lives.”
She meanwhile said of receiving the intended notices of prosecution: “I was really, really angry. I said ‘you need to reply, this is really important’. I very stupidly and naively thought it was acceptable for my boyfriend to reply and explain to the police that it was him that was driving. It wasn’t me. My boyfriend was the one that was driving, it wasn’t me.”
Helen Flanagan arriving at Wirral Magistrates’ Court this afternoon(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Mr Boyers also asked how she would “describe people’s perception of social media influencers”, to which she responded: “I think the perception of me would be that maybe I would easily be able to afford a driver if I was to be banned from driving, but that’s far from the case. I’ve got enough money to pay my tax and VAT, but that’s about it.”
When magistrates panel chairman David Holley asked whether Mr Talbot, a 45-year-old former footballer, could use her car, she said: “I suppose my boyfriend could use my car, but I would feel quite angry. After all, he was the one that got the speeding offences.
“I’m so sorry. It was pure stupidity. I really thought that it was acceptable for my boyfriend to reply on my behalf and I thought he needed to. I would feel really angry if my boyfriend was to take that away from me and drive my car.”
She also said of her children: “They have something every day. Football, dance, drama. My boyfriend wouldn’t be able to do that. It’s me, I have to do it.”
Mr Boyers then addressed the court, stating that his client had “not repeatedly and recklessly flouted road laws” and adding: “An individual has received a piece of paperwork, albeit an important piece of paperwork, and misunderstood the process of responding. Mr Talbot accepts having been the driver and having tried to respond. He did make efforts to do so, albeit misguided efforts. That is why we are here today.
“She is a single mother of three children and she is doing her best. I would invite you to see around the haze of social media influencers. I would invite you to look at this case in the cold hard facts of who is in front of you and find that exceptional hardship is a real possibility here.”
Helen Flanagan arriving at Wirral Magistrates’ Court this afternoon(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The magistrates panel ultimately rejected Flanagan’s claim of exceptional hardship and banned her from driving for six months. She was also fined £2,000 and told to pay an £800 victim surcharge plus court costs of £110.
Mr Holley told her: “It is a high bar to pass, and it is inevitable that every disqualification comes with an element of hardship. We are not satisfied that you or those around you would suffer exceptional hardship if you were disqualified from driving.”
Flanagan nodded as she was told she would be disqualified from the roads and asked to pay the sum off in £1,000 instalments over the course of three months. She replied “thank you” as she was told she could leave the courtroom.