Emma Watson, famed for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, has been banned from driving in the UK for six months after being caught speeding.
The 35-year-old actress was recorded driving at 38 mph in a 30 mph zone in Oxford on the evening of July 31, 2024. Watson already had nine penalty points on her licence prior to the offence. At a brief hearing on Wednesday, July 16, at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court, she was fined £1,044. Watson was not present at the five-minute hearing.
Watson’s lawyer, Mark Haslam, informed the court that she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford and confirmed her ability to pay the fine.
Watson gained international fame after starring in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001 and went on to appear in all eight films of the franchise. She has also featured in movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Bling Ring, and Little Women (2019). In 2023, she launched a sustainable gin brand with her brother.
In a related incident, Zoe Wanamaker, who portrayed Madam Hooch in the Harry Potter films, was also fined £1,044 and banned from driving for six months after speeding on August 7, 2024. Wanamaker was driving at 46 mph in a 40 mph zone on the M4 in Newbury, Berkshire, and, like Watson, had nine points on her licence before the offence.
Both actresses received three additional penalty points, exceeding the 12-point threshold, which automatically triggered their six-month driving bans, as confirmed by District Judge Arvind Sharma.
