17 July,2025 11:05 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Emma Watson
Emma Watson, 35, who is best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the popular Harry Potter film series, has found herself banned from driving a car for the next six months. The actress, who faced an overspeeding ticket last year, has been proven guilty in court, leading to the ban.
Emma was reportedly caught driving at 38 miles an hour in a 30-mile zone in southeastern Banbury town in Oxfordshire in July 2024. The incident was captured by a traffic enforcement camera. Notably, Watson, who was still a student then, already had nine penalty points on her licence before the speeding offence. After being proven guilty at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, she has been ordered to pay a total of £1,044.
Watson's lawyer, Mark Haslam, informed the court that she is a student, adding that "she is in a position to pay the fine." Watson was charged and entered a guilty plea on March 3. Following the hearing, which lasted just five minutes, the sentence took place on Wednesday at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court, which the actress did not attend in person.
In addition to the driving ban, the court also imposed three more points on her licence. Besides, she will be paying the fine of £1,044, which includes a £650 fine, £120 in court costs and a £264 victim surcharge. Notably, this is not her first violation. Her Audi S3 had also been towed months earlier over illegally parked.
Watson has taken a break from her acting career and was pursuing a master's program in creative writing at the University of Oxford since 2023.
Coincidentally, another actor from the Harry Potter franchise also faced a similar six-month ban on driving on the same day. Zoe Wanamaker, who played Quidditch teacher Madame Hooch in Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, also faced similar overspeeding charges as Emma.
The 76-year-old was caught driving at 46 miles an hour in a 40-mile zone of the M4 motorway in southeastern Berkshire in August 2024. Zoe's case, too, was also dealt with by the lower magistrates' court in the town of High Wycombe. Notably, since Wanamaker too missed the hearings in court, she was also fined £1,044.
