Lord Charles Brocket, who finished fourth on the 2004 series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, has been found guilty in court after a terrifying road incident
Lord Charles Brocket was known for his eccentric antics on the third series of I’m a Celebrity, but didn’t stay in the spotlight for too long. Now, he’s back in the public eye after a judge decided he was guilty of a driving offence – years after also being outed and jailed as an insurance fraudster.
The blue-blooded lord and former ITV star has been convicted for failing to stop at a zebra crossing while manoeuvring his moped on the bustling King’s Road in London.
Brocket attended Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on March 21, concerning an offence from last year. On August 19, 2024, while mounted on his Piaggio moped, he was cited for not yielding to a pedestrian – an allegation for which he’s now been found guilty.
Handing down judgement, the court fined the 73-year-old peer £346, alongside a £138 surcharge and court costs amounting to £650. Three penalty points were also added to his driving licence alongside the fees.
In court, Lord Brocket seemed to suggest that he wasn’t as flush as his name might suggest, stating that he is retired with no steady income. “The money that I have is purely from looking after various assets that the family own and I get my expenses paid for,” he said.
Evidence presented during the trial included a cyclist’s video, which was vital for the final judgement. The footage seemed to capture the moment Brocket zoomed past the zebra crossing just as the pedestrian stepped out.
A witness and cyclist, Oscar Blanco, recalled to the courtroom, “As she started to cross, the moped rider drove through the zebra crossing without stopping to allow the pedestrian to cross.”
Self-representing and donning a hi-vis jacket upon arrival by moped, Brocket told the court: “In this instance, the car in front of me slightly obscured anything to the left. When I realised that the pedestrian had actually put her foot on the zebra crossing, the only possibility for me would have been an emergency stop.”
He told those at the trial: “I’ve been riding these bikes for 50 years. If you have got to do a rapid stop on two wheels, even on a dry road, you’ve got to be sure what you’re doing. I couldn’t possibly have stopped in that time.”
When prosecutor Andrew Moss asked Brocket if he accepted that the pedestrian was already on the crossing, the TV personality said: “She had just put half her right foot as my wheel comes to the crossing.”
Moss then told the court: “The defendant is saying he didn’t have time to stop safely or have time to make an emergency stop. The crown’s case is straightforward – if the pedestrian is on the crossing it’s not a defence.”
Magistrate Wendy Preston then said in judgement: “From the video evidence and the evidence from Mr Blanco, we are satisfied that the pedestrian was on the carriageway before any part of the defendant’s vehicle crossed the pedestrian crossing.”
She added: “In evidence, the defendant said the car in front of him slightly obscured anything to the left on the approach to the crossing.
“Under those circumstances case law is clear that if you cannot see that there is a person on the crossing, you must drive in such a way that you can stop if there is a person on it. We therefore find you guilty of this offence.”
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