BOXER Haroon Khan asked a police officer to “let him off” after he was caught speeding at 62mph in a 30mph limit.

Amir Khan’s 21-yearold younger brother was stopped by police in Chorley New Road at 11pm on January 23 after his hired Vauxhall Insignia was caught by their speed gun, Bolton Magistrates Court heard yesterday.

Haroon Khan, of Garsdale Lane, Lostock, was on his way home after a night out with friends and Steve Woodman, prosecuting, told the court: “He asked the officers whether they would let him off.”

Khan, who is due to make his professional boxing debut in Sheffield next week in a super flyweight contest against Bulgarian Stefan Slavchev, pleaded guilty to speeding. Last year he attended a driver improvement scheme after an accident involving a pedestrian in Deane Road. A dangerous driving allegation was dropped.

And in February this year he told his followers on Twitter that he had been fined 750 rupees for speeding in Pakistan.

But in court yesterday, Philip Trotter, defending, said Khan, who has been driving for three years, still has a clean UK driving licence and urged magistrates not to ban him.

“Allow him to start his professional career without the disgrace of a disqualification,”

he said.

He stressed that the Commonwealth Games bronze medalist does charity work and “he believes, locally at least, he is a role model for children,” added Mr Trotter.

“His first focus is his family and he believes he has brought them shame.”

Mr Trotter told the court that Khan needs to drive to get to training in Salford each morning and made a “momentary mistake”, not realising his speed while concentrating on getting home before training the next morning.

He added that Khan is responsible for driving his younger sister and niece to school and next month will help at his older brother Amir Khan’s wedding by ferrying around guests arriving in the North West from Pakistan and the USA.

Magistrates said the only reasons they were not banning him were his guilty plea and clean driving licence.

He was instead given six points, a £165 fine plus £35 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

“As much as you are supposed to be a role model in the community, it still does not mean you can drive up Chorley New Road at double the speed limit and then say to the officer ‘do you think you could let me off ?’,” magistrate Susan Tonks told Khan.

The boxer refused to comment after the hearing.