Stoke City and Netherlands left-back Erik Pieters was let off a speeding charge on Monday.

The Dutch defender was clocked at driving 61mph on the A500 in his Mercedes-Benz M-Class in the 50mph zone in April, 2014 but managed to avoid any penalty due to a legal loophole.

The case against the Dutch international has been dismissed as he did not receive the 'Notice of Intended Prosecution' letter in time.

Nick Terry, who defended Pieters, told the magistrates court: "It is accepted by Mr Pieters that he was driving at that time. But the Road Traffic Act 1988 specifically states there cannot be a conviction unless the notice is served within 14 days.

"Mr Pieters may be a person who you recognise, but he has come to court because he wants to be honest.

"He has had the courage of his convictions. He tells us he has a good arrangement in place to deal with legal issues.

"If he had received this letter in April or May then he would have dealt with it in April or May."