Yorkshire Post | Hull City boss's ban lifted over hardship claims

Yorkshire Post | Hull City boss's ban lifted over hardship claims

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Hull-City-bosss-ban-lifted.5372314.jp

HULL City chairman Paul Duffen has had a driving ban lifted because it would cause "exceptional hardship" to the club and charities he supports.

The Tigers supremo, who already had nine points on his licence for speeding, was given a six-month ban after being clocked in his Aston Martin travelling at 55mph in a 40mph zone on December 6 last year, about an hour after the club had beaten Middlesbrough at the KC Stadium.

The ban was revoked at an appeal at Hull Crown Court yesterday.

His earlier £500 fine was increased to £900, however.

Mr Duffen, 50, told the court: "It is very simply a matter of fact I cannot do my job without my driving licence and the impact of that, I believe, could be severe to the business I run and its employees."

Mr Duffen said he was unable to employ chauffeurs, as had been suggested by the magistrates who sentenced him on May 11, as he had to deal with highly sensitive and confidential information relating to transfer deals.

He said: "I have made no attempt to say I can't afford a chauffeur, or even two chauffeurs. But it is not possible.

"The flexibility demanded by my schedule means it will not work."

The married father-of-five, who lives in Surrey, had admitted speeding at an earlier hearing but had pleaded with magistrates to spare him the ban, saying it would make his life "very difficult".

Mr Duffen had told the court that in addition to his professional responsibilities in Hull, he had 13 commitments to charities and community groups.

He said a ban would also cause "great hardship" in relation to his children.

Mr Duffen had rejected suggestions that he could hire a driver to overcome the difficulties of a ban, saying he could not house them after journeys from Yorkshire to Surrey.

He said the ban would force him to rethink his commitments to the club.

Mr Duffen led a consortium which bought the club from Adam Pearson in June 2007.

He has overseen a meteoric rise in its fortunes since, both on and off the pitch.

In the 2007/08 season Hull were promoted to the top flight in English football for the first time in the club's history.

After a breathtaking start which saw the Tigers storm into a European qualification spot in the opening weeks, the campaign faltered with a string of poor results.

The clubs was finally left having to rely on other results to survive on the last day of the season.