The Hindu : International : Eric Clapton in the dock

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 15, 2004

International

International

Eric Clapton in the dock

DIJON, OCT. 14. Eric Clapton will not be driving in France for a while. The French police on Thursday clocked the rock star speeding down a highway at 216 km an hour and suspended his licence. Radar caught him whizzing down a highway in his Porsche 911 Turbo at 86 kph above the speed limit.

The police confiscated Clapton's British driver's licence and suspended his right to drive in France.

Clapton, 59, a 16-time Grammy Award winner, took the bad news well. He even agreed to a photo session with gendarmes. After paying a $922 fine, he rolled away in his Porsche — this time in the passenger seat with his secretary behind the wheel. Clapton can still drive in Britain and elsewhere, but he will have to recover his licence through a diplomatic route. A court hearing, at which he need not be present, will determine the period for which his licence will remain suspended in France. In August, Clapton had imprints of his hands and signature installed in marble on the Sunset Boulevard ``Rockwalk'' in Los Angeles that honours musicians who have made a significant contribution to the history of music.

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