Stoke striker Ricardo Fuller, who has lived in the UK for nearly ten years, was fined £115 today after a court heard he wrongly believed he could drive in Britain using a Jamaican licence. The 29-year-old was not present at Stoke-on-Trent Magistrates Court to hear that three other motoring-related charges against him had been dropped.

The star's lawyer, Mike Stephenson, entered a guilty plea on his behalf and told magistrates his client had failed to realise he could only use a Jamaican licence during his first 12 months in Britain.

But Mr Stephenson, who stressed that his client had been properly insured during his time in the United Kingdom, said the 12-month rule did not apply to licence holders from all countries.