A Premiership footballer undertook a marked police car at 116MPH - because he was "running late for a job'' a court heard today (Thurs).

Watford FC player Etienne Capou, 30, has now been banned from the roads for three months following the gaff.

He whizzed past cops in his £150,000 Mercedes G Wagon, undertaking them on a slip road of the M25.

The £40,000-a-week midfielder claimed he was "running late for a job" after they pulled him over following a two-mile pursuit.

Capou previously pleaded guilty to one count of speeding and was due to appear at Stevenage Magistrates' Court yesterday.

But after failing to appear, the footballer from Barnet, Enfield, was sentenced to a three-month driving ban in his absence.

He was also fined £1917 after refusing to provide his means to the court.

The court heard how dash cam footage captured the former French international driving at high speed and undertaking on the slip road of Britain's busiest motorway.

He was followed for 2.3 miles between junction 22 and 20 of the Westbound carriageway, near to Watford's London Colney training ground.

Prosecutor Graham Allen told the court: "Mr Capou said 'he was running late for a job' after they [the police] questioned him."

Echo:

Police noted his speed as 116mph and intially posted footage of the incident on Twitter.

In its original tweet, the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Team said: "Having just overtaken a marked police X5, this somewhat well-known footballer decided 125mph and undertaking on an off slip of the M25 was OK #taxitotraining'.

In a follow up tweet, the unit said: "This one has garnered some interest! They have been reported for the speeding offence and will have to explain their actions to a magistrate."

However, as the footage gained attention, police refused to name the star and deleted the post altogether.

Capou's solicitor Kwaku Awuku- Asabre represented him in his absence.
Commenting on the footballer's failure to appear, Chair of the bench Miss Corinna Murray said: "We are not best pleased, others go to court.

"He is not showing in a good light."

The Mercedes G Wagon has become a must-have car for celebs and footballers since its launch in the US in 2002.

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, TV star Kim Kardashian and boxer Floyd Mayweather all have one.

Capou was bought by Watford FC in 2015 for a club-record transfer fee of £6.3 million.

Court was told that he had a previous driving conviction from February 17 2017, in which was caught speeding 58mph in a 30mph zone.

At the time he was fined £1,000 and banned for 28 days.