Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Manchester United footballer handed six-month driving ban and £30k fine

Manchester United footballer Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been banned from driving for six months and fined more than £30,000 for driving while disqualified and without insurance.

He admitted to the offences after being stopped by police in Manchester on 23 June after returning from a break abroad.

Ahead of a scheduled trial on Monday he also pleaded guilty to failing to provide driver details for two speeding offences in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in September 2020.

The 24-year-old's lawyer said paperwork had gone to a former home and that he was in a "state of ignorance" about the speeding offences.

The failure to reply led to a six-month ban imposed at Leeds Magistrates' Court in his absence on June 18.

It was given just five days before his Lamborghini Urus was seized by police on the A34 after officers stopped him.

Wan-Bissaka already had six points on his licence from a conviction in London in April 2020, the court heard.

Shaun Draycott, defending, told Manchester Magistrates' Court: "When he was stopped on the A34 he was courteous and respectful to the officers, and he indicated to them he had no idea he was disqualified."

He said Wan-Bissaka had been with his first club, Crystal Palace, from the age of 11 and that seven years later he enjoyed the services of an agent for the first time.

The solicitor said football agents did not merely deal with finances and were responsible for all manners of personal services for their client.

Mr Draycott said arrangements were made for the footballer's agent to visit his former home in London to handle affairs following his transfer to Manchester United in 2019.

He explained the property was undergoing refurbishment at about the time the Yorkshire letters were sent and the address was under let.

Mr Draycott said: "I think the refurbishment issue may have caused some difficulty. He felt matters had been put in hand and plainly they had not, and he must now pay the price for that."

He accepted that Win-Bissaka had also failed to notify the DVLA of his change of address in 2019.

Sentencing, District Judge Bernard Begley pointed out that at least "six or seven letters" regarding the speeding offences would have been sent to the Croydon address.

He said: "Whether it was wise for you in the circumstances to delegate the tasks in relation to moving from the London address to Manchester is a matter you will have to reflect upon."

Wan-Bissaka, who lives in Hale, received a fine of £30,000 for driving while disqualified, together with fines totalling £1,500 for failing to give information on the speeding matters.

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge fee of £190 and court costs of £160.

No separate penalty was issued for the insurance offence.