Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/12/blind_driver_banned/
Blind driver ordered to take extended test
Also banned for three years, naturally
Posted in Bootnotes, 12th September 2006 11:35 GMT
The eyeless Iraqi driver pulled for operating a motor vehicle without MOT, licence, insurance, or eyes has been slapped with a suspended jail sentence, the BBC reports.
Omed Aziz, 31, attracted the attention (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/05/blind_drivers_dangerous_shocker/) of officers for driving on the wrong side of the road in Oldbury, West Midlands, at 35mph.
One of the officers at the scene told a previous court hearing: "I attempted to speak to the driver, who appeared to be fumbling around with the controls. At that point the passenger leaned across and stated: 'He's blind'."
His colleague added: "I asked him if he could see me. He removed the dark-coloured sunglasses he was wearing and I could clearly see he was blind as he had no eyes."
Aziz accepted the no MOT, licence, or insurance rap, but denied dangerous driving. Magistrates, however, yesterday gave him a 12 week jail sentence, suspended for a year, banned him from driving for three years, and ordered him to take an extended driving test. He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £364.
We should at this point stress that magistrates were "required by law to order Aziz to take an extended driving test, if he ever decides to apply for a driving licence", as the BBC explains.
To add spice to yesterday's proceedings, the court enjoyed a nine minute delay in proceedings after the chairman of the bench, Richard Knight, "declared Aziz's t-shirt to be offensive and ordered him to remove it". Quite what the t-shirt said is not reported, but we'd like to suggest in mitigation that Aziz was likely oblivious to the fact that his mates had dressed him in a Manchester United away strip. ®
Bootnote
Oh, alright then. The t-shirt said, according to The Guardian: "B4d Moth3rfuck3r". Smart move.