COMIC Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown has apologised after being caught behind the wheel looking at a newspaper - insisting he only glanced at it for three seconds.

The controversial North-East comedian, real name Royston Vasey, was captured on police cameras perusing The Sun as he drove his Lexus along the A19 near Crathorne, North Yorkshire.

After pleading guilty by post he was fined £30 by Northallerton Magistrates’ on Wednesday and received four penalty points. He was also ordered to pay costs of £40 and a victim surcharge of £20.

The 69-year-old, of East Harlsey, North Yorkshire, admitted this weekend: “I was in the wrong and that’s it. I apologise.

“I’m guilty as charged and I just have to sit back and lick my wounds.”

He said he had shopped at a nearby Tesco store and was driving home when he took a “three second glance” at the tabloid newspaper.

“It was a glance, it wasn’t as if I was reading an article.”

His image was captured by one of the police’s mobile camera operators and the resulting video clearly shows him with the newspaper spread in front of the steering wheel.

The Grangetown-born star claimed his car was recognisable because of its private number plate. He added:“This is the second or third incident I have had with North Yorkshire Police over stupid, stupid things.”

North Yorkshire Police insisted the force treated everyone exactly the same. “When the offence was detected there was a car driving down a dual carriageway with the driver reading a newspaper that could clearly be seen over the steering wheel.”