A worried mum risked her cheap car insurance premium by speeding home to see her sick daughter.
31-year-old Kate Allen, from Tonypandy in Wales, was spending a Friday night at a friend's home when the babysitter rang to say that her six-year-old daughter was ill. Leaping into her Peugeot, Allen rushed to get home as soon as possible.
Several minutes later a speed camera in the village of Porth flashed her doing 40mph through a 30mph zone at half past two in the morning.
Appearing at Rhondda Magistrates' Court, Ms Allen pleaded guilty to speeding and was fined £60. She told the court, "I was rushing to get back to my daughter who was ill.
"She was running a high temperature and vomiting and I sped in my haste, but I know that's still not acceptable."
Chairing the bench, Steve Holcombe said, "We understand the circumstances but we have to deal with it today by the way of a fine.
Ordered by the court to surrender her driving licence in order to have her penalty points added, Ms Allen revealed she had accidentally shredded it with some bank statements several days before the hearing.
A spokesperson from CoverGirl Car Insurance Services, specialists in cheap car insurance for women, commented on the case, saying, "This just goes to show that the courts won't take any excuses for speeding, and your cheap car insurance could suffer as a result."