Ex-United star and England International Jesse Lingard has landed in hot water for allegedly sending false details to the police. The Nottingham Forest star reportedly shared phony details after a speed camera caught his Range Rover exceeding the limit.
The Forest midfielder is now due to stand trial in court (via The Mirror). Lingard has been charged with failure to supply information about who was driving his vehicle after a name and address were provided and ‘linked’ to a supposed NIP (Notices of Intended Prosecution) farm.
The 30-year-old enjoyed a 22-year relationship with Manchester United before leaving his childhood club in June last year. His side of the story was heard for the first time on Friday at Stockport Magistrates Court.
Court proceedings
However, Lingard was not present. His lawyer entered the not-guilty plea on his behalf. The court heard that a speed camera allegedly flashed Lingard’s Range Rover Sport exceeding the speed limit. The violation reportedly took place on the A56 in Trafford in August 2022. The driver was neither spoken to nor stopped.
Mike Arden, representing the Greater Manchester Police (GMP), stated that the force “wrote to Lingard at his then home address in Altrincham” with a notice of intended prosecution and Section 172 notice. The Section 172 notice requested that the driver be identified.
Arden also explained that the notice “made it clear that the individual it was addressed to was to respond” and that “they are not to pass it on to anyone.”
Arden confirms that roughly two weeks later that details were provided online “on the face of it by someone appearing to be Lingard” using his email address.
The nomination identified George Bolt as the driver. The nomination also said that George Bolt lived at an address on Pretoria Road in Oldham. The court was then told that the alleged Mr. Bolt was written to, but no response was received.
The plot thickens
In a quote to the Manchester Evening News, Arden said, “That’s not a surprise because he doesn’t exist. We’re quite certain about that.
The GMP prosecutor explained that the name had been “linked to a so-called NIP farm.”
Arden maintains that checks were conducted, and GMP was “satisfied George Bold doesn’t exist at that address.”
To make matters worse, Arden suggests even the address appears false saying, “We’re not even sure the address exists. We think it is a car park.”
He continued, “Therefore, the nomination of Mr. Bolt was inaccurate and misleading and prevents police getting to the bottom of who was driving the Range Rover.”
Lingard’s representative, Frank Rogers, asserted, “Mr. Lingard will say he never saw the notice of intended prosecution and never had any dealings with it.
