The 64 year-old actor broke down in the witness box at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court while detailing the serious health conditions of artist wife Fiona Hawthorne and daughter Sasha.
The magistrates ruled the Bethnal Green-born star, who appeared in three 007 movies as MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson, needed to continue driving them to medical appointments and honour his charitable commitments.
Wearing a smart grey suit, lilac shirt and blue tie father-of-four Salmon pleaded guilty to driving his twenty-two year-old silver 1.3 litre Suzuki Wagon in excess of the 20mph limit in Old Oak Road, Acton on March 31.
The court heard a speed camera snapped him travelling at 24mph at 7.17am, not far from the £1.2m family home in
Shepherd’s Bush.
He already has nine points on his licence for speeding on April 30, 2023; jumping a red light on February 27, this year and driving without due care and attention on April 15.
Salmon was fined £666, with £130 costs, ordered to pay a £266 victim surcharge and received three more penalty points, which usually trigger an automatic six-month disqualification.
“We note you are the main breadwinner and carer for your family and within the family, members have life-limiting conditions, including your wife and children, who all have varying medical conditions,” bench chairman Mark Stollery told him.
Ruling Salmon and his family would suffer ‘exceptional hardship’ if he was disqualified, the magistrate added: “They rely on you abnormally compared to most families and we also note your charitable work and that takes up time and travel.”
Earlier, the Hollywood actor-turned soap star, who appeared in ’Tomorrow Never Dies’; ‘The World Is Not Enough’ and ‘Die Another Day’, told the court why it is so important he keeps his licence.
Salmon previously opened up about Fiona’s serious health condition earlier this year on Good Morning Britain, detailing her battle with interstitial lung disease, which left her dependent on an oxygen tank.
The main reason he abandoned his international acting career to take a £15,000 per month role on the BBC soap was to ensure he was close to home in the event of any sudden emergencies.
He told the magistrates: “My wife fell ill while I was working in America, so I needed to stay home and in 2022 the opportunity came to join the cast of EastEnders and stay in London.
“They don’t offer cars. You have got to get yourself to and from work,” explained Salmon, remarking on the contrast between the beeb’s finances and some of the big budget Hollywood productions he has appeared in.
“It is part of our contract that we are self-sufficient in relation to that.”
Salmon plays ex-boxer George Knight in EastEnders - patriarch of the Knight family and co-owner of the Queen Vic.
He previously made a name for himself in multiple tv shows including Prime Suspect 2; Silent Witness; Band of Gold; Judge John Deed; Bad Girls; Doctor Who; Spooks; Death in Paradise; Arrow and Midsomer Murders.
He has also repeated the role of James “One” Shade in the Resident Evil franchise.
“Having the car means I can get back to Fiona easily from the studio in Borehamwood. I have a big mortgage and two adult children that live with me.”
Salmon was handed a tissue by the court usher as he became emotional when explaining daughter Sasha fell ill with lymphoma, a cancer that affects the blood cells, in 2019.
“I had to dodge a few jobs because of her illness and savings are short apart from money tucked away for the tax bill.”
He said Fiona was well until developing a cough in April, 2019, with scans revealing inflamed lungs and the interstitial condition. “She had months, not years.”
A secondary condition, which complicated a potential operation resulted in lung specialists at Harefield Hospital ruling out a lung transplant.
Fortunately, due to his acting career in the USA, Salmon had health insurance for himself and his family and Fiona underwent a double lung transplant on June 20, 2024 in Chicago.
After developing pneumonia travel was impossible for Fiona and the couple remained in the USA for a year until she was medically fit to return home.
“She arrived back in time for my son’s wedding, a massive moment in her life as it is something she thought she would not have,” the actor told the hearing.
Since then Fiona has had three visits to Accident & Emergency and continuing treatment at Harefield Hospital.
“The transplant was successful, but she is still terminal and I had to shield her during COVID when she got sepsis. She gets infected very easily as her immune system is really low.”
Regarding daughter Sasha, he explained: “I assist her as much as I can and I drive her to medical appointments. Eastenders have been amazing. If I give them dates they make it work for me.”
His artist son Ben is high-functioning autistic, the court heard and a recent graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art.
“He gets overwhelmed in public and misreads situations,” said Salmon, adding Ben is in receipt of PIP benefit (Personal Independence Payment).
The actor has endured his own health troubles, having been “hit hard” by COVID and needing steroids and supplementary oxygen.
Last month he underwent hip replacement surgery and walked to the courthouse from his Uber with the aid of a walking stick.
“I had been walking around for two years bone on bone. The pain was necrosis of the hips and in November I had one hip replaced.”
Keeping his licence would enable his charity work to continue, particularly a steel drum band that along with his wife assists older performers and isolated women.
“It has also kept Fiona going and I am needed to drive the gear everywhere. I’m the Captain,” Salmon told the magistrates.
He is also a King’s Trust ambassador, having previously fulfilled a similar role with the Prince’s Trust and plays cricket for the Lord’s Taverners, another charitable organisation.
Salmon said he also needs his licence to drive to the young offenders institution attached to HMP Portland, where he teaches cricket to the inmates and similarly at HMP Oakwood, Birmingham.
Regarding his latest speeding offence he added: “I am embarrassed and ashamed. I feel strongly about speeding near schools so to do this is ridiculous.
“I am sorry for letting down the people I am trying to help and my family and I have now bought a radar and fitted it to the car.”
Before the hearing Salmon’s lawyer Sasha Laurel Jagroo made a failed attempt for her client’s address not to be given in open court, claiming he is the victim of stalkers.
“My application is there is no public interest and in fact it will be distressing to Mr Salmon and his family if his house number and address is revealed in open court.
“Mr Salmon is regularly stalked. He is in EastEnders and he has been stalked before and his family and home is at great risk if his address is published.
“He has had unwanted attention, been followed and pursued for interviews, particularly when he was appearing in the James Bond movies.”
When challenged by the magistrates, Ms Jagroo conceded she could not identify a specific case of stalking.
Following objections from Square Mile News, reminding the bench of the importance of open justice and defendants fully identifying themselves in court the application was dismissed.
Bench Chairman Mr Stollery announced: “The overriding principal is the public administration of justice. We have not heard anything that persuades us that revealing your address frustrates the administration of justice.
“We have heard of the attention you must get from fans, the press, but that does not meet the threshold in our view.
“If stalkers are overstepping the mark and go to your house it would be down to you to call the police.”
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