His tumultuous past has come out to haunt Jeremy Clarkson, who faces criminal charges and, if convicted, could be sentenced to spend up to three years in prison.

Nope, the unfortunate BBC employee who was attacked by JC didn’t sue. Nor did the British channel, or any of the countless individuals or minorities he has bad-mouthed over his long sting as a Top Gear host.

Remember the infamous incident in Argentina about that time last year? The one that got him, James May and Richard Hammond run for their lives and eventually kicked out of the country?

What was supposed to be the TG’s Christmas Special ended in disaster when Jezza thought H982 FKL was a perfectly suitable license plate for the Porsche 928 he was driving. The locals, apparently, didn’t take to that kindly. As a matter of fact, they considered it a direct reference to the 1982 war between Great Britain and Argentina. The team insisted it was a coincidence (we’ll take that with a bit of salt, if you don’t mind) and promptly switched plates.

The trio is now long gone both from the country and Top Gear and are shooting their new show after signing a lucrative deal with Amazon. This mishap was probably forgotten; or maybe it wasn’t after all.

While the number plate per se isn’t breaking the law, changing plates on the same car is. At first, judge Maria Cristina Barrionuevo put an end to the case and didn’t press charges. Three state prosecutors have now appealed and the investigation is on again. This means that Clarkson, as well as Top Gear producers, are facing criminal charges and, if found guilty, up to three years in prison.

Seeing as the trial will take place in Argentina, which he won’t be visiting any time soon, it’s hard to imagine Clarkson doing time. If anything, he will probably make a joke about it in his new show.

Could he be extradited? The UK certainly will refuse to, especially to Argentina. What about the US, though? Is there a mutual agreement between the two countries? If so, will they agree to do something like that to a British citizen?

The answer is, we do not know. It would be fun if he actually showed up for the trial though. As long as he was wearing body armor and had half the Argentinian army guarding him at all times.

Story Reference: autoevolution

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