Barney Walsh, the son of TV star Bradley Walsh, has been criticised by magistrates and slapped with a £1,000 fine after being clocked at a staggering 95mph on the M4. The ‘Casualty’ actor, famed starring alongside his father in ‘Gladiators’, was nabbed for speeding in his luxurious 2023-plate Mercedes near Swindon, Wiltshire, in March.

At Swindon Magistrates Court on Wednesday, September 18, Barney had been prepared to acknowledge that he had been driving “between 93mph and 95mph.” Despite his intention to enter a guilty plea, his defence team challenged police allegations that he had hit speeds of 97mph.

During the hearing, presiding magistrate Mark Baker did not shy away from scolding the young celebrity as Walsh failed to attend the hearing himself. Mr Baker said: “We find this a little bit arrogant that this plea is coming from a firm representing Mr Walsh when he was summoned to appear here.” It is understood he was unable to attend due to filming commitments and it had been approved by court, the Mirror reports.

The speeding incident was detailed by Prosecutor Anna Hughes, who described how Wiltshire Police tracked Barney’s Mercedes GLC 300 zooming past a speed camera on the afternoon of March 6, reports OK! Officers said they clocked him driving at 97mph, but Barney’s legal team argued that the soap star “believes he was travelling at between 93mph and 95mph and he is prepared to plead guilty on this basis”.

Usually, such speeding offences could see you hit with a £2,500 fine, but the magistrate reduced his fine to just £1,000, giving him the benefit of the doubt. Walsh also accumulated five more penalty points on his licence, bringing his total to eight.

The TV favourite was ordered to fork out an additional £490 in court costs and has been given 28 days to settle his bill with the court. Barney is best known for starring alongside his dad on Breaking Dad and has made appearances in Doctors, Law and Order, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and All Star Musicals. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.

He played Ryan Cook in a 2023 episode of Death in Paradise and landed the role of Cameron in Casualty. He also co-hosts the rebooted version of Gladiators with his dad.