Case against actor Matthias Schoenaerts postponed to allow him to take driving test

Last month, the magistrate had told Matthias Schoenaerts that he would receive a six-month prison sentence, a one-year driving ban and a fine of 4,000 euros. The reason? On 5 and 21 April 2024, he was stopped on his motorbike in Pelt (Limburg) without a valid driving licence. In September 2021, he had been banned from driving for driving under the influence of cocaine and had to retake his driving tests. He had not yet done so.

During the first incident, on 5 April, the celebrated Flemish actor claimed that he did not know that the driving ban also applied to riding a motorbike. The police pointed this out to him, and he got away with a caution. When he was stopped again, on 21 April, he still did not possess a valid driving licence.

When he was stopped, he was also unable to produce any valid registration documents for his motorbike, which he had borrowed from a motorbike manufacturer. The vehicle was subsequently found to be registered and insured.

Actor's talents can be handy in court

Schoenaerts failed to appear in court last month and was therefore convicted in absentia. However, he lodged an appeal.

As a result, he faced a retrial, again in Beringen. This time, Schoenaerts was present.

‘The summons slipped my mind; I spend a lot of time abroad. I do not dispute the facts,’ he began his statement to the court. When asked why he did not retake his driving tests, he cited ‘bad timing’. ‘But that's no excuse; I should have planned for it.’

He also agreed with the magistrate that he should not have lied about his driving licence: ‘I was not honest with the police. That is why I am here, to take responsibility for my actions.’ He emphasised that it was ‘not a habit’ to drive without a licence: ‘I used drivers and chauffeur services.’

Top notch lawyer pleads case

According to his solicitor Sven Mary, the actor shows remorse by admitting that he was wrong.

‘He really understands,’ Mary emphasised. ‘It's five past midnight and he will take responsibility.’ He therefore asked the court to be lenient.

‘Schoenaerts also spends a lot of time in America, for which he has to sign ESTA documents. In America they have a president who kidnaps presidents. But immigration is a big problem, and the checks are very real. If Schoenaerts answers honestly when asked whether he has ever been convicted, he will not be allowed to enter America. His previous conviction has caused him a lot of problems.’

Postponed until September

The actor’s lawyer first wanted to ask the court to grant Schoenaerts the favour of a suspension, but the prosecutor would not hear of it. ‘You can't ask for that when you already have 11 convictions.’ He then asked the court to postpone the case so that Schoenaerts could pass his driving tests in the meantime and show that he was taking matters seriously.

In the end, that was indeed the compromise agreed: the case will be postponed until September, and Schoenaerts must have passed all his driving tests by then. ‘A tip,’ concluded the magistrate: ‘You can go to the exam centre a little further down the road and take your theory test there this afternoon.’

‘I'll have to study first,’ the actor replied. ‘Okay, but take action,’ the magistrate emphasised.

Already 11 convictions in police court

Schoenaerts has already notched up 11 convictions in a police court, including for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In 2007, he was convicted after a drunk driving accident with a hit-and-run a year earlier. The actor was banned from driving for three months, fined 2,750 euros and had to retake several driving tests.

At the end of November, he was again arrested during a police check, once more in Pelt, for refusing to take a breathalyser test. He was also not in possession of a valid driving licence and behaved in a defiant manner. He will have to answer for these offences at a later date.