CELTIC manager Neil Lennon has been banned from driving for six months after being found guilty of speeding at a notorious accident blackspot on the A9 in Perthshire.

However, he branded the verdict "nonsense" after he was disqualified under the totting up procedure.

The court was told that Lennon, 42, already had nine points on his driving licence when he was caught speeding near Blackford on October 6 last year.

The Parkhead manager, who was cleared on a tech­nicality on another driving charge just weeks ago, tried again to use a loophole to avoid being found guilty.

Lennon tried to persuade Perth's Justice of the Peace Court that the Gatso radar machine that clocked him driving at 83 miles per hour was not accurate.

His solicitor, Liam O'Donnell, asked for the case to be thrown out because the certificate produced by the Crown in evidence made no mention of the Gatso being accurate at the time.

But Justice of the Peace Allan Robertson rejected the no case to answer sub­mission and then found Lennon guilty of speeding on the Perth-Stirling dual carriageway.

Lennon was found guilty of speeding in his Audi Q7 close to the junction with the B8081 to Blackford.

Mr Robertson said: "I have taken time to consider all the evidence before me and I believe the Crown has put forward the case beyond reasonable doubt and therefore I find you guilty.

"You were sitting on nine live points and when somebody reaches that tally they should be very careful about how they conduct themselves on the road.

"I am going to add four penalty points to your licence, which will take you over the threshold for totting up [12 points] and you will incur a six-month disqualification from driving."

The Celtic manager was also fined £260 and given one month to pay the fine in full.

Lennon branded the trial "nonsense." He added: "You saw it for yourself. I do want to say something about it."

Last month Lennon was cleared of driving while using his mobile phone after a court heard police officers failed to check it to see if it had been used in Glasgow.

A JP court ruled there was no case to answer.