Ex-Wolves star Lee Naylor spared driving ban

Former Wolves star Lee Naylor today admitted speeding at nearly 100mph on the M5 as he raced to pick up his daughter for Sunday lunch.

The defender, who is currently without a club after being released by Cardiff City at the end of the season, was eligible for a ban under the totting-up procedure as a result of the offence.

But magistrates sitting at Telford decided not to disqualify the former England under-21 international after he claimed it would cause him 'exceptional hardship'.

Naylor, 32, from Sutton Coldfield, admitted speeding in his Audi A6 Le Mans car near junction 5 of the northbound M5 on January 22

Mr John Barnett, prosecuting, said: "An officer conducted a speed check over a distance of 0.497 miles and found the average speed of the Audi to be 96.81mph."

Naylor told the court he had been driving from Cardiff to pick up his eight-year-old daughter, who lives with his ex-partner in Walsall, to take her to her grandmother's for Sunday lunch.

When asked why he was speeding, he said: "Because I was running late."

The court heard Naylor already had nine points on his licence from two previous driving offences, and magistrates imposed a further five penalty points on his licence for speeding.

But he was spared a ban after claiming his current partner, who is eight months pregnant, was suffering from health problems and relied on him.

Justices also fined him £73 and ordered Naylor to pay £60 costs and a £15 government victim surcharge.

Naylor's older brother, Martyn, was also a professional footballer and had a number of spells with AFC Telford United.