Russell Brand hires lawyer to fight traffic offences

Russell Brand has hired a lawyer to fight speeding charges.

Brand has been charged by police over two allegations of speeding and two counts of failing to tell police if he or someone else was driving the car.

The comedian and actor has hired the law firm of Nick Freeman, known as Mr Loophole, to represent him over the charges.

His case was initially dealt with by a private magistrate sitting but now seems to be headed to a hearing in open court.

According to court papers obtained by The Standard - which relate to one of the speeding charges and one allegation of failing to answer a police letter - a Mini registered to Brand was caught on a speed camera on March 23.

The vehicle was allegedly going at 37 mph (60 kph) in a 30 mph (48 kph) zone in Shiplake, a village near Brand's Oxfordshire home.

It is further alleged that the Forgetting Sarah Marshall star was written to in April and a reminder letter was also dispatched, but there was no response.

In a letter to the court, Brand's lawyer asked for no pleas to be entered against any of the charges.

The cases were adjourned to a future date.

Last week, it emerged that detectives investigating Brand over allegations of historical sex offences have sent prosecutors a file of evidence so they can consider bringing charges.