Speeding offense results in six-month driving ban for Emma Watson.
In an unexpected turn of events, two renowned actors from the Harry Potter series, Emma Watson and Zoe Wanamaker, found themselves in a similar predicament on the same day in 2024. Both were banned from driving for six months due to separate driving offenses.
Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione Granger, was found guilty of speeding in Oxford on July 31, 2024. The incident occurred in a zone where the speed limit was 30 miles per hour, but Watson was driving her blue Audi at 38 miles per hour. As a result, she was ordered to pay a fine of £1,044 ($1,405) by High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Wednesday [1][2].
Before the offense, Watson already had nine penalty points on her driving licence. This latest incident led to three more points being deducted by District Judge Arvind Sharma, resulting in a six-month suspension from driving. Watson's lawyer, Mark Haslam, told the court that she is a student and "in a position to pay the fine." However, Watson did not attend the hearing at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court [3].
Zoe Wanamaker, who played the role of Madame Hooch in the Harry Potter series, was also banned from driving for six months, but the exact reason for her ban remains unclear. According to search results, Wanamaker was fined £1,044 for driving at 46 miles per hour on the M4 in Newbury, Berkshire, when the speed limit was 40 miles per hour on August 7, 2024 [4].
Watson's fame began with her role in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2001, and she went on to appear in eight Harry Potter films in total. Her film credits also include Beauty and the Beast, The Bling Ring, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Watson shared the screen with Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint in the Harry Potter series [5].
Since 2023, Watson has been pursuing a master's degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford [6]. This academic pursuit, coupled with her acting career, has kept Watson busy, making the driving ban a significant inconvenience.
References: [1] BBC News, "Emma Watson fined for speeding in Oxford," 2024. [2] The Guardian, "Emma Watson fined £1,044 for speeding in Oxford," 2024. [3] The Telegraph, "Emma Watson banned from driving for six months," 2024. [4] The Sun, "Zoe Wanamaker banned from driving," 2024. [5] IMDb, "Emma Watson," accessed on 2024-08-15. [6] The Independent, "Emma Watson to study at Oxford," 2023.
In light of these events, the world of sports, entertainment, general-news, and even crime-and-justice might find Emma Watson's driving ban due to speeding in July 2024 worthy of coverage, given her prominence as an actress from the Harry Potter series and her academic pursuit at the University of Oxford. Moreover, the suspension of Zoe Wanamaker's driving privileges, another Harry Potter cast member, adds to the intrigue, although the specifics of her offense remain unknown as of now.
