Paul Hollywood pleads guilty to 96 mph speeding

Paul Hollywood, the judge on The Great British Bake Off, pleaded guilty to speeding after driving nearly 100 miles per hour on the M25 and M26 motorways while rushing his unwell cat to a veterinarian. The incident occurred on January 9 at around 3:20 p.m., when a Surrey Police officer in an unmarked vehicle observed Hollywood's Land Rover Defender exceeding speed limits amid heavy traffic and damp conditions.

Pc Alexander McAlpine, who followed Hollywood, recorded the vehicle at an official speed of 96 mph but estimated peaks exceeding 105 mph after it joined the less congested M26. The officer described the driving as involving repeated close following of other vehicles, at distances of less than five meters, which was inappropriate for the speed and conditions. "Whenever there was a vehicle ahead, the driver would close up to a follow distance of less than five metres," McAlpine stated. "Once a vehicle moved out of the way having been tailgated until they did so, the driver would then heavily accelerate and travel well in excess of the limit until they reached the next vehicle ahead."

McAlpine noted one instance where the Defender followed another car at roughly two meters...