Guy Ritchie gets six-month driving ban after cyclist catches him texting while behind the wheel
Guy Ritchie is slapped with a six-month driving ban after vigilante cyclist catches him texting while behind wheel of his Range Rover in Hyde Park and reports him to police
- The film director, 51, was seen by cyclist Mike van Erp in London on his phone
- He wound down window when he was spotted declaring ‘hello my friend’
- But Mr van Erp was recording him and handed the footage to the Met Police
- Ritchie was stationary in his car when he was approached by him last year
- He was banned from driving on Tuesday after admitting breaking the law
- The filmmaker already had nine points on his licence but received six more
- Totting up process of driving offences mean motorists get ban after 12 points
- Mr van Erp says he collared hundreds of drivers in 2019 and got them 574 points
Published: 07:25 EDT, 23 July 2020 | Updated: 11:07 EDT, 23 July 2020
Guy Ritchie has been banned from driving after a vigilante cyclist caught him behind the wheel texting on his phone.
The Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director, 51, was clocked by biker Mike van Erp in Hyde Park.
He videoed Ritchie – who used to be married to Madonna – on the phone in his car before alerting the police, sparking the prosecution.
Bromley Magistrates Court banned him for six months on Tuesday after he admitted the offence, earning six points on his licence.
It triggered a ban because it took him over 12, due to him already having nine from previous driving breaches.
Footage of the encounter shot on his GoPro helmet cam showed Mr van Erp going up to his black Range Rover and ticking him off over the phone.
Ritchie appeared to be stationary at the time in his motor in a traffic queue with Apple headphones in to make legal calls hands-free.
West Londoner Mr van Erp, 48, is a serial ‘camera cyclist’ who shopped 358 drivers last year and has even had death threats over his filming. On the day he caught the director he had filed complaints about three others to the Met Police.
He shopped Ritchie with a video he titled: ‘Man typing on his mobile phone whilst behind the wheel of his car’.
The father, who works as a carer and inline skate instructor, told MailOnline his actions have seen a total of 574 points and £35,400 of fines imposed in court.
He said of Ritchie: ‘I am empathetic to him and other disqualified drivers. I have to look at myself to judge if I am doing the right thing.
‘My dad was killed by a drink-driver when I was 19, I still remember him, so I feel very strongly about road safety.
‘I first got my helmet camera in 2006 and realised the potential for road safety.
‘When you have an incident people don’t believe motorists can behave in the way they do.
‘London is probably the camera cyclist capital of the world. Last year I think I caught 358 drivers and two cyclists, it only takes a few minutes to submit a video.
‘You just fill out a form online and send it in. You do occasionally have to go to court, I have had to do it maybe five to ten times.
‘I think Mr Ritchie is the first well-known person I have caught doing it. I definitely think what I am doing is keeping the roads safe.
‘The points system is designed to get people to drive better.
‘I have had quite a lot of anonymous death threats through what I do.
‘But I am just one of many camera cyclists. I think there are thousands of them in London.
‘Some of them are even more active than me.’
Mr van Erp’s video shows him approaching the film director’s car in Hyde Park in London
West Londoner Mr van Erp, 48, is a serial ‘camera cyclist’ who shopped 358 drivers last year and has even had death threats over his filming. Pictured are photos he has posted on Instagram
Mr van Erp handed his video to Met Police officers and told them he had seen Ritchie texting on the road that cuts through the park. The incident happened at about 1pm on November 3 last year.
Ritchie pleaded guilty in writing to the offence, and was banned from driving for six months by Bromley magistrates on Tuesday.
In a statement Mr van Erp said: ‘I spotted this driver texting on his phone. I stopped and whilst waiting for traffic to clear could clearly see the driver typing on his phone. I then crossed to the driver’s side where I saw his iPhone lit up with the classic blue and grey message bubbles of Apple iMessage, with text, and a message in process of being typed but not sent.’
Mike van Erp was the man behind the camera and can be seen in a reflection in Guy Ritchie’s car
The incident happened at about 1pm on November 3 last year in London’s Hyde Park
Cyclist Mike van Erp recording himself going up to the director’s Range Rover to confront him
The movie director appears to be oblivious as the cyclist corners his target, with his mobile still in hand
Phones in cars: What is the law on mobile use?
The law states you can only use a hand-held device behind the wheel if the car is safely parked.
Crucially, this does not include if you are waiting at traffic lights or in a queue.
The only exception if for emergency calls when it is not safe to stop
Punishment is six penalty points and a £200 fine, or if a driver has passed less than two weeks earlier they can even lose their licence
The video shows him going up the director and saying: ‘Clear messages open here, oh dear.’
Ritchie rolls down his window and says ‘Hello my friend’ to which Mr van Erp replies ‘Shalom’.
He added: ‘I don’t think you should be doing your text messages while you are driving, I saw you doing it back there as well.’
The traffic starts moving so he moves out of the way, then goes to catch up Ritchie again, who has now wound up his window.
Mr van Erp then says ‘I guess he doesn’t want to talk any more’ before the video ends.
The Evening Standard said the case was dealt with behind closed doors under the Single Justice Procedure, to avoid a full court hearing, with a court official and a magistrate assessing the papers.
Ritchie, who already had nine points on his licence said he would not be contesting a driving ban and offered no mitigation for the offence through a letter from his lawyer.
He pleaded guilty to using a handheld mobile phone/device while driving a motor vehicle on a road and was given six points and ordered to pay a £666 fine, as well as £166 in prosecution costs and court fees.
Mr van Erp told him ‘Clear messages open here, oh dear’ before Ritchie rolled down window
Mr van Erp, 48, said he started filming and reporting drivers on a GoPro helmet camera after his father was killed in a crash.
His footage has led to scores of drivers facing prosecution.
He said: ‘I had no idea it was him. I pulled up beside him on my bicycle and told him he was using his mobile.
‘He said he had stopped in traffic. Drivers should not be doing this and people like me serve as a deterrent.’
