EastEnders' Shane Richie faces six-month driving ban after speeding

EastEnders actor Shane Richie has faced another setback, as he's been hit with a six-month driving ban after he was caught speeding. The actor, who plays Alfie Moon on the BBC One soap, was caught on camera driving at 35mph on Reigate Hill back in mid-March.

BBC News reports that he appeared at Guildford Magistrates' Court on 23 September and was fined £500. He was also ordered to pay £320 and a surcharge, on top of being told he wasn't legally allowed to drive for six months.

Richie told the court that photographers and press had been constantly following him due to his personal problems and accused them of "baiting" him to get a reaction.

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"Over the past several months I've been followed from my place of work in Borehamwood where I film sometimes six days a week by our British tabloid press… to my home [and the supermarket]", he said.

"It's no secret now that I'm going through a very public divorce and for the last several months the British press have suspected this and have been constantly baiting me and almost always looking for a reaction from me to sell their newspapers," he said.

He also explained that's "not an excuse for going five miles over the limit, but just a reason why I may have sped up on that particular road".

This charge is different to Richie's public arrest in Essex at the end of July, where he was told he had gone over the legal alcohol limit. His trial date for that offence is set for November 2027.

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Shortly after his arrest, it became public knowledge that Richie's divorce from Christine Goddard had been recently finalised and their family home had been put up for sale a few months prior.

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

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