Ipswich Town midfielder Kevin Bru has been banned from driving for a year and fined £1,000 after pleading guilty to a series of motoring offences.

Bru, 28, of Hazel Rise, Claydon, appeared at East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court in Ipswich today having pleaded guilty to three offences of failing give information relating to the driver of a vehicle.

The court heard Bru’s Mercedes C220 had been recorded speeding on two occasions on the A12 at Stratford St Mary near West Bergholt on August 28 and 29 last year, clocked at 79mph and 80mph by a police speed camera.

The car was also captured by a speed camera going 71mph on the A14 Orwell Bridge on August 28.

However the speeding charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service as were three charges of driving other than in accordance with a licence.

The court heard Bru had been previously banned from driving for six months at Colchester Magistrates for a similar offence in April.

Representing Bru, Neil Saunders said the footballer, who signed for Ipswich Town FC in July 2014, did not know who had driven his car and was in fact playing football away against Preston North End on one of the occasions.

Mr Saunders told the court Bru was naive and had not committed the offences maliciously.

“These offences rather speak for themselves,” he said.

“Mr Bru is not the driver of the motor car, on one occasion he was playing at Preston North End.

“He doesn’t know who was driving, he wasn’t there.

“He has had the letters and he has put his head in the sand.

“It is exactly what he did in Colchester.

“These matters have happened about the same time.

“Had it been dealt with at the same time he wouldn’t be here.

“He has rather learned his lesson and all he can do is apologise.

“It is not malicious, it is naivety and not knowing what to do.

“It is head in the sand ignorance, call it what you will.”

Presiding magistrate Christine Tindall banned Bru from driving for one year and fined him £1,000.

He was also made to pay £200 court costs and a £100 victim surcharge.

The court heard the fine and court costs will be paid by the football club and then recouped from the player’s wages.