Jeremy Clarkson Could Face 3 Years In Argentinian Jail Because Of That Number Plate

If Jeremy Clarkson and his former Top Gear colleagues thought that the whole Argentinian number plate debacle was behind them, they just received some bad news. Despite a judge originally rejecting a criminal investigation into the case after crews acted swiftly to avert more upset, a trio of judges have overturned the decision after an appeal.

The controversy was caused by Jeremy Clarkson’s Porsche, which was wearing the numberplate H982 FKL. Argentinians claimed it was mocking those who fought in the 1982 Falklands War, something which everyone involved with Top Gear has strenuously denied.

Furthermore, The Telegraph reports that an Argentine politician also claimed ‘the digits 269 on the number plate of the Ford Mustang Richard Hammond drove were close to the 255 Britons killed during the war - and the numbers 646 on James May’s Lotus could be taken as a reference to the 649 Argentinian casualties.’

Last night, former TG script editor Richard Porter made the following statement on the matter during an AMA on CT:

According to prosecutors, the Top Gear team committed a crime under article 289 of the Argentinian Penal Code, which charges those who ‘falsify, alter or suppress the number of an object registered in accordance with the law.’ Simply put, changing the plate was illegal, and that is what they’re being charged with. If found guilty, those charged could face between six months and three years in prison.

Maria Cristina Barrionuevo, the judge who originally blocked criminal proceedings, did so due to the fact that the team only changed the plate to appease those who were upset at the original plate. It seems a fair and logical conclusion to come to, but since her decision was overturned it remains to be seen if logic wins out.