John Stones convicted of speeding after missing court letter during World Cup campaign

John Stones has been convicted of speeding and ordered to pay more than £1,000 in fines and costs after missing a court letter that arrived while he was away on international duty at the World Cup. The 32-year-old defender, who joined Inter Milan in the summer, was issued four penalty points and a £666 fine by Warrington Magistrates Court last week, along with £120 in costs and a £266 victim surcharge.

Court records show Stones was caught driving his £150,000 Range Rover at 43mph in a 30mph zone near his Cheshire mansion at 10.40am on 8 May — during the final weeks of Manchester City’s title race and in the build-up to the FA Cup final. He initially admitted being the driver when contacted by Cheshire Police, but failed to respond to a second letter offering him the chance to settle the matter with a fixed penalty, resulting in a prosecution under the Single Justice Procedure.

In a written statement to the court, Stones explained the sequence of events that led to the missed correspondence. “The reason I am only responding to the offence now is because I represent our country for football and so I have not been home and seen any post,” he wrote. “I sent off my letter on the 28th May to give my details, I went off to join England. We were there until the 19th July. I went on holiday and then moved to Milan, so this has been found by chance, as no one has been home for almost four months.”

Stones was part of England’s 26-man squad for the World Cup in the United States, starting the opening group match before featuring in the quarter-final against Mexico. He also played in England’s semi-final defeat to Argentina.

The defender added that his absence from the country also explained why he could not appear in person at the hearing, noting he “no longer am residing in the country” following his summer move to Inter Milan.