Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has been spared a criminal trial after an allegation he was caught using his phone while driving was dropped by prosecutors.
The 43-year-old ex-footballer had been reported to the Met Police by cyclist Mike van Erp, who said he filmed Lampard at the wheel of his Mercedes holding a cup of coffee and talking on the phone.
The case was due to come to trial on Monday, but the Crown Prosecution Service said it had reviewed the evidence and decided to drop the criminal charge.
“After examining a file of evidence submitted by the Metropolitan Police Service, we concluded, in accordance with our legal test, there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction”, said a CPS spokesperson.
Lampard had been expected to appear at City of London magistrates court for the trial, with Mr van Erp lined up by the police as a key witness in the case. But they were informed that the case had been abandoned late last week.
Mr van Erp, who has previously provided video evidence to convict Chris Eubank and Guy Ritchie of traffic offences, reported Lampard over the incident about 4pm on April 27 last year.
“I was cycling southbound on Gloucester Road and caught up to queuing traffic in both directions near the Gloucester Arms”, he told Bromley magistrates, in written evidence.
“As I was filtering past the motor vehicles, I noticed this driver of a black Mercedes 4x4 holding a coffee in his right hand, and a phone in his left. I could see him talking on the phone.
“I turned right behind his vehicle and came up next to the nearside passenger window, where I could see him talking on his phone, whilst resting his right inside wrist on the steering wheel and holding a coffee or some similar hot drink.
“I could see nobody else in the car for him to be talking to, and he was holding the phone up near his mouth in that ‘I’m talking on handheld speaker phone’ classic pose.
“I then went around and back to the driver’s side window, took a closer look and at this point the driver noticed me, and the traffic cleared and he was able to drive off.”
Mr van Erp said he was “pretty disgusted” with what he saw of the former Chelsea boss’ driving.
Lampard pleaded not guilty to the charge, and hired the law firm of Nick ‘Mr Loophole’ Freeman to fight his case.
In a letter to the court, Freeman and Co said: “Issue will be taken at our client’s trial with the question of whether he was using a mobile telephone for the purposes of an interactive communication function at the time of the alleged offence.”
Previously, champion boxer Chris Eubank was prosecuted thanks to Mr van Erp’s GoPro footage, which captured him running a red light in Hyde Park while driving his convertible gold Rolls Royce.
In 2020, Guy Ritchie was caught using his mobile phone while at the wheel, landing the Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director with a six-month ban.
