Banking heiress Kate Rothschild has been fined and banned from driving for six months after she was caught using her phone at the wheel by a passing cyclist.

The 40-year-old was reported to the police after being spotted holding her phone while in the driver’s seat of her Audi Q7 SUV in Fulham, west London.

Rothschild admitted the offence but asked Lavender Hill magistrates to consider sparing her a ban, saying she needs her car for emergencies while looking after her three sons at their remote countryside cottage.

However magistrates rejected the plea, sentencing Rothschild to a six-month driving disqualification and a £450 fine. She was also ordered to pay a further £280 in court costs and fees.

The mother-of-three was given six penalty points for the phone offence, bringing her above 12 points on her licence and facing an automatic ban.

In a letter to the court ahead of last week’s hearing, Rothschild said she has a home in Fulham but mainly resides in a “very remote” cottage in the Wiltshire countryside.

“Taxis will often refuse to go up the track and emergency vehicles will not necessarily find it so not having a driver’s licence is really unsafe as my partner is often away and I have two teenage sons and a 2 year old baby boy”, she said. “The thought of being at home with my sons and not being able to get them to a hospital should the need arise terrifies me.”

Rothschild, a scion of the famous banking dynasty, married financier Ben Goldsmith in 2003 and they have two sons together. She appears in court papers under the name Kate Goldsmith.

After their divorce in 2013, she started a relationship with entrepreneur Paul Forkan and they have a two-year-old son together.

Rothschild, a music producer, was caught breaking the law on New King’s Road in Fulham on August 30, 2022.

Cyclist Beatrice Goater said she was passing the Audi around 9.30am when she noticed the driver, a woman with “strawberry blonde hair”, was using her mobile phone.

“I am cycling and I pass the vehicle”, she told the court.

“I notice the driver on her phone and I ask her to stop using her phone. She pays no attention to my request.”

Police moved to prosecute the heiress as she already had too many points on her licence for a fixed penalty notice.

“My car had cut out and the ghost immobiliser had kicked in stalling my car”, she said, explaining the incident which has led her to court.

“My partner had recently changed the code after having two cars stolen and the new code was written in the notes section which I was checking. “I am, of course, aware that I have done wrong and that I have previous points on my licence however I just hope that you can and you will take this all into consideration.

“I am happy for the court to proceed in my absence.”

Rothschild pleaded guilty to using a handheld mobile phone while driving. She was given a week to pay all the fines and financial penalties.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/banking-heiress-kate-rothschild-goldsmith-phone-driving-cyclist-court-b1084668.html

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Banking heiress Kate Rothschild has been fined and banned from driving
> for six months after she was caught using her phone at the wheel by a passing cyclist.
>
> The 40-year-old was reported to the police after being spotted holding
> her phone while in the driver’s seat of her Audi Q7 SUV in Fulham, west London.
>
> Rothschild admitted the offence but asked Lavender Hill magistrates to
> consider sparing her a ban, saying she needs her car for emergencies
> while looking after her three sons at their remote countryside cottage.
>
> However magistrates rejected the plea, sentencing Rothschild to a
> six-month driving disqualification and a £450 fine. She was also ordered
> to pay a further £280 in court costs and fees.
>
> The mother-of-three was given six penalty points for the phone offence,
> bringing her above 12 points on her licence and facing an automatic ban.
>
> In a letter to the court ahead of last week’s hearing, Rothschild said
> she has a home in Fulham but mainly resides in a “very remote” cottage in
> the Wiltshire countryside.
>
> “Taxis will often refuse to go up the track and emergency vehicles will
> not necessarily find it so not having a driver’s licence is really unsafe
> as my partner is often away and I have two teenage sons and a 2 year old
> baby boy”, she said. “The thought of being at home with my sons and not
> being able to get them to a hospital should the need arise terrifies me.”
>
> Rothschild, a scion of the famous banking dynasty, married financier Ben
> Goldsmith in 2003 and they have two sons together. She appears in court
> papers under the name Kate Goldsmith.
>
> After their divorce in 2013, she started a relationship with entrepreneur
> Paul Forkan and they have a two-year-old son together.
>
> Rothschild, a music producer, was caught breaking the law on New King’s
> Road in Fulham on August 30, 2022.
>
> Cyclist Beatrice Goater said she was passing the Audi around 9.30am when
> she noticed the driver, a woman with “strawberry blonde hair”, was using her mobile phone.
>
> “I am cycling and I pass the vehicle”, she told the court.
>
> “I notice the driver on her phone and I ask her to stop using her phone.
> She pays no attention to my request.”
>
> Police moved to prosecute the heiress as she already had too many points
> on her licence for a fixed penalty notice.
>
> “My car had cut out and the ghost immobiliser had kicked in stalling my
> car”, she said, explaining the incident which has led her to court.
>
> “My partner had recently changed the code after having two cars stolen
> and the new code was written in the notes section which I was checking.
> “I am, of course, aware that I have done wrong and that I have previous
> points on my licence however I just hope that you can and you will take
> this all into consideration.
>
> “I am happy for the court to proceed in my absence.”
>
> Rothschild pleaded guilty to using a handheld mobile phone while driving.
> She was given a week to pay all the fines and financial penalties.
>
> https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/banking-heiress-kate-rothschild-goldsmith-phone-driving-cyclist-court-b1084668.html
>

Use of phone in such a situation is not illegal, it would count as an
emergency - the car was immobilised.

QUOTE: However magistrates rejected the plea, sentencing Rothschild to a six-month driving disqualification and a £450 fine. She was also ordered to pay a further £280 in court costs and fees. ENDS

"Fess up early doors as we say in the trade."

On 01/06/2023 12:59 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> QUOTE: However magistrates rejected the plea, sentencing Rothschild to a six-month driving disqualification and a £450 fine. She was also ordered to pay a further £280 in court costs and fees. ENDS
>
> "Fess up early doors as we say in the trade."

What, really?

In the floor-mopping and sweeping-up night shift trade?

How does the subject even come up?

QUOTE: Banking heiress Kate Rothschild has been fined and banned from driving for six months after she was caught using her phone at the wheel by a passing cyclist. ENDS

Those sneaky cameras catching drivers breaking the law.
It's all so *unfair".

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> QUOTE: Banking heiress Kate Rothschild has been fined and banned from
> driving for six months after she was caught using her phone at the wheel
> by a passing cyclist. ENDS
>
> Those sneaky cameras catching drivers breaking the law.
> It's all so *unfair".

There is a law that says that using your phone in an emergency is lawful.
Perhaps you don’t count a lone female in a non-functioning car as an
emergency?

It certainly raises the issue of not stopping for an injured cyclist that
one might come across (there are all those cyclist deaths and injuries from
SVAs, for example) and phoning for help, perhaps it’s better just to drive
on past and risk them dying.

What goes around comes around.

--
Spike

ITK2012 | 33 posts | 22 min ago
1 like
If she was genuinely concerned about the safety of her and her children, and understood that it was essential for her to be able to drive she wouldn't have racked up so many penalty points.

How much money did she fork out to come up with that pathetic excuse, and defend it in court? More than enough to have a private driver take her wherever she needed to go for 6 months no doubt.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> ITK2012 | 33 posts | 22 min ago
> 1 like
>
> If she was genuinely concerned about the safety of her and her children,
> and understood that it was essential for her to be able to drive she
> wouldn't have racked up so many penalty points.
>
> How much money did she fork out to come up with that pathetic excuse, and
> defend it in court? More than enough to have a private driver take her
> wherever she needed to go for 6 months no doubt.

By piling supposition upon supposition, you can condemn anyone to anything
you like.

--
Spike

cyclisto | 624 posts | 5 hours ago
If a Rothschild cannot afford to pay taxi for 6 months, I must start worrying about the stability of the banking system.

But no worries, with a car stalling because of an immobilizer operating after having already started before, she can earn more money from her lawsuit to Audi.
-----
I think it's an aftermarket immobiliser - but I take your point. And she should sue Audi for selling a car that realistically needs such aftermarket devices.