Tilda Swinton's son Xavier escapes driving ban

The son of Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton escaped a driving ban yesterday after telling magistrates it would ruin his film career.

Xavier Swinton Byrne, 27, was clocked racing his Ford Mustang down the A23 at 100mph in July.

For speeds in excess of 100 mph, or more than 30 miles above the relevant limit, drivers are normally handed an instant disqualification rather than penalty points.

But the decision is at the discretion of the court, and it is possible to avoid a disqualification if magistrates are persuaded a ban would lead to exceptional hardship.

Earlier this week the DVLA revealed a 26-year-old man was still driving despite having 176 points on his licence after claiming hardship.

Magistrates in Horsham were told Swinton Byrne - the son of actress Tilda and Scottish playwright and artist John Byrne - had been travelling in his Ford Mustang down the A23 at Slaugham, West Sussex.

He was clocked by a traffic officer tearing down the motorway at 100mph - 30mph above the 70mph limit - in July this year.

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The court heard Swinton Byrne already had a previous speeding offence on his licence for which he had been handed three penalty points.

Swinton Byrne, whose award-winning actress mother, Tilda, has starred in more than 100 films in a career stretching back almost 40 years, claimed a driving ban would harm his film career.

He claimed a ban would impact on his job in the film industry and asked them not to impose a driving ban.

The 27-year-old, a production assistant, works behind the scenes and has had a hand in superhero films, Dr Strange, Avengers: Infinity Wars and Star Wars IX - The Rise of Skywalker.

Swinton Byrne, who was living in Slough at the time of the offence, explained he had recently moved back to Scotland and was currently earning around £60 a day.

He said it was already quite a challenging working environment due to recent industrial strikes in the US which had left film workers with less opportunities.

Wearing a grey suit, tie and shirt, said: 'I recently moved back to Scotland and I live in a remote area.

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'It would impact me quite a lot not just in my personal life but in my work as well. I work in film industry and If I was not able to drive then it would impact on my ability to earn.'

He added: 'It's made me reflect my actions on the road that day and I'm definitely not wanting to come back to court again.'

Tilda Swinton has forged a successful career as an actor, starring in as the Witch Witch in the popular Chronicles of Narnia film series and recent Wes Anderson films.

She split from her long-term partner, John Byrne, in 2004 after 15 years together. He died last November at the age of 83.

Swinton Byrne was supported in court by his girlfriend with whom he rents a home in Scotland.

The three-woman magistrates bench, which was chaired by Carol Lintott, retired to consider his hardship plea.

When they returned Miss Lintott said: 'So we've taken into account your early guilty plea today and you've told us about your means and circumstances. There will be six penalty points on your driving record.'

She fined him £768 with a £307 victim surcharge and £110 prosecution costs coming to a total of £1185.

Asked how he would be paying the fine he told the court he could pay it in total immediately.