England striker Defoe guilty of speeding

The Tottenham Hotspur striker, 26, was also convicted of failing to declare who was driving his Land Rover at the time of the offences.

Chelmsford Magistrates' Court heard that the star was caught breaking a 50 miles (80 km) per hour speed limit on the M11 at Chigwell, Essex, in April and June last year, the Press Association reported.

Defoe was caught driving at 65 mph just after midnight on April 16 last year and then at 81 mph at about 9 p.m. on June 6 2008.

The court heard that a temporary speed limit of 50 mph had been in place at the time.

Deputy District Judge Mark Jabbitt, who adjourned sentencing until next month, described Defoe's defence of the case as a "technical assault" on rules used to enforce speeding regulations.

He said Defoe, who already has six points on his licence from offences dating back to 2007, will be required to attend the sentencing hearing on June 26.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Defoe is set to have a further 18 points slapped on as a result of the convictions, meaning an automatic driving ban under the totting up procedure.

Prosecutors had argued that Defoe, who was convicted in his absence, had ignored all correspondence and had failed to attend court to give his version of events.

England coach Fabio Capello has included Defoe in his squad for forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra.