McFly star Harry Judd convicted and fined for talking on the phone while driving

The 37-year-old musician was sitting in an Audi in Kensington when he was filmed deep in conversation while holding his phone in his right hand. Judd, the drummer for the pop-rock band McFly, appeared to notice the cyclist driving alongside his car but continued to talk on the phone while steering the sports car with his other hand.

The cyclist – who regularly films motorists breaking the Highway Code – commented as Judd drove away: “Well he saw me – most people drop it like a hot potato… but not you.”

When contacted by the Metropolitan Police, Judd admitted being seen in the footage and pleaded guilty to using a portable mobile device while driving a vehicle. He was sentenced by a judge to six penalty points, a £220 fine, £100 in costs and an £85 victim’s surcharge.

Judd, who won the Strictly series with Aliona Vilani in 2011, joins the list of celebrities who have been surprised by the growing number of cyclists policing drivers in London.

Film director Guy Ritchie was caught texting behind the wheel by cyclist Mike van Erp, who also filmed former champion boxer Chris Eubank breaking traffic rules by running a red light.

Mr. van Erp is among the cyclists who routinely film their rides and sometimes pass on videos of drivers breaking the law to police to become the focus of law enforcement.

Judd was caught around 1pm on January 21 by a cyclist who posts videos online under the name MrClifCam. “I was cycling along the A4 when I saw the driver using a mobile phone,” he told Bromley Magistrates Court.

In one clip, the drummer can be seen on the A4 near the slip road to Earl’s Court Road junction.

A Met Police officer told the court that Judd had initially been sent a fixed penalty notice over the incident, but he had “failed to comply with the requirements of the fine by failing to hand in his driving licence. The matter was therefore referred to the public prosecutor’s office so that a single court order could be issued,” he said.

Judd pleaded guilty in the online individual justice trial and offered no mitigation.

He was given 28 days to pay the fine. The court case was heard solely on the basis of written evidence and in a closed-door hearing. It is not known whether the judge saw the recordings of the crime.