Elon Musk’s Tesla car company has racked up at least 16 criminal convictions and had to pay out nearly £20,000 after repeatedly failing to co-operate with UK police. The British arm of the motoring firm has been taken to court by a host of British police forces over the last year, after letters from officers went unanswered.
![[Los Angeles Auto Show]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2024/11/22/14/26/Los-Angeles-Auto-Show-265yguu5.jpeg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
Police were looking for the details of speeding Tesla drivers, and when there was no reply the company itself was prosecuted. The Standard first highlighted the trend last May, when at least 15 criminal convictions had been accumulated by Tesla. A fresh conviction was recorded against the company last month at Oxford magistrate court, again for failing to co-operate with a police request for information.
Typically, criminal cases have centred on speeding offences involving a Tesla believed to be rented from the company on a long-term lease. Tesla did not respond to a request from The Standard to explain the repeated failures to cooperate with police forces, including the Metropolitan Police, Hampshire Constabulary, and Thames Valley Police.
Musk himself has spent the last few weeks aiming personal attacks at Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling for Home Office minister Jess Philips to be jailed, and suggesting King Charles should dissolve Parliament to spark a UK General Election. On Sunday, Musk posted a social media message calling for Nigel Farage to be replaced as Reform UK leader, after days of outspoken support for the right-wing party.
