Troubled reality star Katie Price intends to plead not guilty to allegations she was caught speeding and then did not respond to police letters about the incident.
The 44-year-old model and mother-of-five already has a possible jail sentence hanging over her head after she admitted breaching a restraining order on contacting her ex-husband’s new partner.
Price’s legal woes are set to continue with a charge of speeding in a BMW close to her home in Horsham, West Sussex – dubbed the ‘Mucky Mansion’ - last September, as well as an allegation she failed to identify the driver of the car when contacted by police.
The Evening Standard can reveal lawyers acting for Price have written to Crawley magistrates court to indicate she will plead not guilty to the charges at a hearing in July.
On Wednesday, Price appeared in the dock at Lewes crown court to plead guilty over a text message she sent to her ex-husband Kieran Hayler, including foul-mouthed abuse about his new partner Michelle Penticost.
The reality star had been banned under a 2019 restraining order from contacting Ms Penticost, but breached the order when writing to Mr Hayler: “Tell your c***ing whore, piece of s**t, girlfriend not to start on me.”
Judge Stephen Mooney adjourned sentencing until June 24, but warned Price: “Clearly you have accepted responsibility for this offence and that you indirectly tried to communicate Ms Penticost despite her restraining order against you.
“I must warn you Ms Price that you are at risk of going to prison.”
According to court papers in the speeding case, the allegation goes back to September 13, 2021, when Price’s BMW X5 was allegedly caught on a speed camera at 72mph in a 60mph zone on the A24 in West Grinstead at 8.46am.
Tim Smith, an enforcement officer with Sussex Police, sent images of the vehicle to the court, along with a statement claiming Price had been written to about the alleged speeding and not responded.
He said letters were sent to two addresses linked to Price and added: “There was no response”.
Price’s case was originally in the Single Justice Procedure, where magistrates sit behind closed doors to deal with low level offences without a full court hearing.
However, Crawley magistrates court said an email had been sent in by Price’s lawyers, indicating the not guilty pleas and the case was adjourned to an open court hearing on July 5.
The allegation of speeding was just 11 days before Price flipped her car in a drink drive crash that led to her being handed a 16-week suspended prison sentence.
Price has a long list of driving offences on her record, including for using her mobile phone while behind the wheel, speeding at almost 100mph, and previous convictions for not responding to speeding tickets.
She has served a series of driving bans, including an 18-month prohibition from 2019.
When handed the suspended prison term for the drink drive crash in December 2021, the judge said she had "one of the worst driving records I have ever seen".
According to the court documents, the latest offences that Price is facing were – unusually – authorised by the Chief Constable of Sussex Police, Jo Shiner.
