Lesley Dunlop Faces Court Following Traffic Offences

Emmerdale veteran Lesley Dunlop, best known to millions as café owner Brenda Walker, has been fined after pleading guilty to two motoring offences. The 69-year-old actress appeared before magistrates last week in West Yorkshire following incidents that occurred late last year and earlier in 2025.

Court records reveal that on December 2, 2024, Dunlop was clocked driving 67mph in a 50mph zone on the M606 southbound in Bradford. The speeding violation was captured by an automatic camera device.

A few months later, on March 26, 2025, the actress failed to provide driver details to West Yorkshire Police, an offence under the Road Traffic Act. When required to identify who had been driving the vehicle at the time of the speeding incident, Dunlop did not respond — resulting in the second charge.

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The Verdict and Penalty

Appearing before West Yorkshire Magistrates’ Court, Dunlop pleaded guilty to both offences. The court issued her with four penalty points on her licence and a £222 fine — a relatively lenient outcome considering that each charge could have carried harsher penalties.

Driving 17mph over the limit can result in up to six penalty points or a temporary driving ban, while failing to identify a driver may lead to six points and fines of up to £1,000. It remains unclear whether Dunlop attended court in person or was represented by legal counsel.

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From Soap Stardom to Legal Scrutiny

The incident comes just months after Dunlop’s departure from Emmerdale, where she had played Brenda Walker for more than 16 years. Her character’s exit aired in April 2025, following a storyline in which Brenda left the village to embark on a round-the-world cruise with her stepdaughter Cathy Hope.

The decision marked the end of an era for the long-running ITV soap, as Brenda had become a beloved fixture behind the counter of the café. Her on-screen split from Eric Pollard — played by her real-life husband Chris Chittell — provided one of the show’s most emotional departures of the year.

Off-screen, Dunlop lives in Bradford with Chittell, with whom she has shared decades of both personal and professional history.

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A Career Spanning Six Decades

Lesley Dunlop began acting as a child in classic BBC dramas such as A Little Princess and South Riding. She went on to star in May to December and Where the Heart Is before joining Emmerdale in 2008.

While her recent legal setback has surprised fans, the actress remains widely respected for her long and varied career in British television.