Disgraced quiz show champ Trevor Montague got his numbers wrong when he was caught speeding three times by the same traffic camera in less than a week.

Montague, 46, of Berstead Walk, Bewbush, pleaded not guilty at Crawley Court to three counts of speeding in Bewbush Drive, near his home, in February last year.

Montague, a winner on Channel 4's Fifteen-to-One programme who was stripped of his title and prize because of an irregularity, changed his plea to guilty halfway through the trial He was fined £300 with £50 costs and disqualified from driving for four months under the totting-up procedure.

Antoinette Clark, prosecuting, said a Gatso speed camera on Bewbush Drive recorded Montague driving at 45 mph in his Fiat Brava on February 12, 16 and 18 last year.

Sergeant Paul Huntley and PC Keith Walker gave evidence that the camera was correctly positioned and functioning properly in a road with a 30 mph limit.

Montague told the court: "I was not trying to pull a fast one. I honestly thought the camera was faulty. Now the officers have explained the system to me I hold my hands up and accept I was doing 45 mph.

"I have never had a speeding ticket in my life and I am very sorry."

Defence counsel Simone Start appealed for leniency on the driving disqualification.

A book called the Encyclopaedia of Knowledge, which Mr Montague has been working on for seven years, is to be launched this summer and he is due to make publicity appearances and attend book signings around the country, she told magistrates.

In a previous case, Montague was taken to court by the producers of Fifteen-to-One because he had already competed on the show once before his winning appearance, in contravention of the rules.

He has also taken part in other popular TV quiz shows including Mastermind, the Krypton Factor and Today's The Day.