Kolo Touré’s lawyer has asked that the Liverpool defender be spared a driving ban for speeding on the basis that he may be pushed under a train or mobbed should he be forced to use public transport.

Touré, who is close to agreeing a new 12-month contract at Liverpool, was caught speeding twice in April and May last year, travelling at 57mph in a 40mph zone, and then 72mph in a 50mph zone soon after.

The 34-year-old was fined £660, along with costs of £300, and received eight penalty points but his lawyer Lisa Wilson, speaking at Warrington crown court, told the Daily Mirror: “Using public transport like buses or trains often leads to a surge of people which is a safety issue to him and the public. If that happened on the train track, someone could be pushed under a train by accident, or under cars on the roads.”

Touré admitted speeding but, according to Ms Wilson, was not “messing around”, rather he was the main carer for his brother Ibrahim, who had leukaemia, and he was driving to visit him in Christie hospital in Manchester.

“Mr Touré was the main carer for his brother and would spend a lot of time travelling between Liverpool and The Christie where his brother was receiving chemotherapy,” added Ms Wilson. “It is usually a 70mph limit and this is not a case where Mr Touré was messing around, showing off, or driving through a residential area. This is partly a case where Mr Touré has other things on his mind.”

Ibrahim died in June while he Kolo Touré was playing for the Ivory Coast in the World Cup in Brazil.