A social media influencer who drove her father’s company Porsche at 93mph has been banned – despite claiming using taxis and trains to travel to photo shoots would be too “challenging”.
Lucia Campolucci-Bordi, 32, was slapped with a six-month driving ban under the points totting up precure, after a police officer clocked her speeding in the 142mph automatic Porsche Macan on the M57 near Liverpool.
Appearing before Wirral Magistrates Court she pleaded to keep her licence by arguing she needed it to get to and from media assignments and care for her two young children who attend nursery and pre-school.
Campolucci-Bordi, of Southport, Merseyside, stressed: “I have had a look into getting taxis and trains but it would just be really challenging for me.”
But JPs rejected her ‘exceptional hardship’ application after hearing she had still continued to manage her business despite not driving since November when she received her initial court hearing notification.
Campolucci-Bordi has already moved the children to a school and childcare closer to her home and the court heard her grandparents were also helping her get the youngster to and from school.
The court heard Campolucci-Bordi, who runs her own social media agency, already had nine points on her licence for speeding and having no insurance when she was pulled over again last June 6th.
Prosecutor Tom Oglesby said a police officer’s attention was drawn to a grey Macan being driven on the northbound stretch of the M57 between junctions 3 and 4 at 10.16am as he believed it was speeding.
The officer monitored the car’s speed over a 1.34 miles and found it be driving at an average of 93 mph.
“The officer caused the vehicle to stop,” Mr Oglesby said. “The officer pointed out the excess speed and that she would be sent a notice of intended prosecution and she made no reply.”
In answering questions from the legal advisor, Campolucci-Bordi who admitted speeding, said: “I do a lot of client-facing work, going to meet clients and do content shoots.
“Obviously I take equipment with me for the content shoots like lighting but it is proving really difficult without a vehicle of my own because the clients are all over the country. They are not all local.
“We do social media, Instagram and TikTok for companies, for hair and beauty brands, skin care brands or aesthetic businesses. We will go to them to get their content and create their social media strategy.
“We get data. I have got a couple of girls who work for me. They schedule the posts, client communications over Zoom and things like that – but they do not do the content or the actual client facing meetings. I will do all that.”
When asked if she had considered employing a chauffeur she said: “I do not know if I would have the financials. I do not have much or any disposable income. I am the sole provider for my children and the profits I take pays for our living.
“I would have to consider sacrificing other things. I do not have any disposable income in the business so it would be really difficult.
“I got a couple of loans when we bought the house years ago as we had a couple of renovations that were done by cowboy builders. I repay those loans. and that is my debt.
“I lost a client in December because I could not go and get the content that we needed. It has been really challenging.
“But I would say more so because of the children than work but it has been difficult because I’ve not been able to get around to clients and clients shoots which I would normally be able to do.”
Campolucci-Bordi said she has a mortgage on a property but is living nearby at her parents’ house while going through a separation. She plans to move back into her property once her ex-partner has moved out.
She said her children’s original nursery and the preschool were 25 minutes’ drive away for her but had moved the children to a different school nearer to where she lives in case she lost her licence.
She explained: “They have just started. My nana will take them. It is not an excuse but when the speeding offence happened it was just a difficult time.
“I had taken the children to my mother-in-law, which is about an hour’s drive away and they had been arguing and fighting in the car. They did not want me to leave. I was not focused.
“I know how awful it is to speed. I am usually very against it, especially if young kids are in the car. I was not in a very good headspace on that particular day especially.”
Campolucci-Bordi was also fined £307 with £233 in costs and surcharge.
JP Beverley Dawson told her: “Exceptional hardship is always difficult to prove because it cannot just mean that you would lose your income or livelihood, which is of course an inconvenience.
“Why did we not find exceptional hardship? Your job. You have already mentioned the use of contractors to do some work and there are a lot of talented people who can take shots.
“You have shown us that you were able to keep the business going while you have not been driving. I know you mentioned you have not been able to get the big bucks as a result but you are showing us that you are able to manage.
“You also have a supportive family who are able to help you from time to time.”