Chief Constable Receives Driving Ban

South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes has been banned from driving after pleading guilty to a speeding charge.

Hughes, who is the former chairman of the roads policing at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), was caught breaking the 60mph speed limit on the A5 at Chirk, near Wrexham in North Wales, in May.

He resigned from his ACPO post after he was summonsed for the driving offence, which happened when he was off-duty and on a family trip.

Hughes did not appear in person at Wrexham Magistrates' Court, but a guilty plea was entered via his solicitor. The court heard that he had been detected driving at 90mph.

Hughes was banned from driving for 42 days and was fined £350.

His solicitor, Huw Edwards, apologised on behalf of his client and told the court: "He doesn;t seek to make any excuse about this matter. He totally accepts that the police have a duty to do. He is no exception and he accepts that he must be punished for the offence."

During his time as ACPO's roads policing chief, he had argued in favour of "less conspicuous" speed cameras as a means of slowing down traffic.

He was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police in 1999, but returned to South Yorkshire to take the post of Deputy Chief Constable in 2002.

He has been in his current role of Chief Constable since September 2004.

(KMcA)