The Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling was stopped by police in his Skoda 4×4 in Wandsworth on April 14. Tugendhat, who lives in Clapham, south-west London, appeared for a sentencing hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. Judge Jack McGarva said: “Using a mobile phone in any way is a distraction. Without any doubt it impairs people’s ability to drive. I would expect you to set a good example for the rest of us.” Geraldine Dickinson, prosecuting, told the court that Tugendhat was arrested by police on the Wandsworth Highway after an officer spotted the MP’s phone in his left hand. “He noticed the driver was using a mobile phone,” he said. “The device was held in the driver’s left hand. He saw this in daylight for about 20 seconds.” He said the officer confirmed Tugendhat was not using the phone to call emergency services. “It was confirmed that they were using maps,” he said. Paul Morris, defending, said his client accepted he would be banned from driving. It offered no mitigation of the “extreme hardship” Tugendhat’s driving ban would cause. Tugendhat received six penalty points on his driving license for the offence, on top of the six he already had for two previous driving offenses – resulting in a six-month ban. The security minister was also fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a £100 surcharge and £110 costs. Tugendhat, who was previously leader of the Conservative party, admitted the offense earlier this month but claimed he was not using the phone at the time. In a written guilty plea at Bromley crown court, which heard the case in private under the single justice process, the politician said: “I’m holding my phone, I wasn’t using it. After the incident I took a course to refresh and correct my driving. “I have included the course result. Please accept the course report. I accept my responsibility and acknowledge my guilt.” The Metropolitan Police sent Tugendhat a conditional offer of a fixed sentence in April and he agreed to pay the fine and surrender his driver’s license, according to court documents. He also attended an advanced driving course in May where he was assessed as low risk. But the offense was sent to court for prosecution because of the six penalty points he already had on his driving record.
