Dangerous driving charge against armless man dropped

Colin Raymond Smith denied the charge. Picture / Alan Gibson

A dangerous driving charge against an armless man was dropped by police today as his trial was set to begin.

Colin Raymond Smith, 31, a Tauranga beneficiary, had pleaded not guilty and was to argue that driving with his feet was not dangerous.

The case was dropped in Tauranga District Court today.

Smith, who was born without arms, has apparently been driving with the use of his feet for years without any problems.

He was charged after being stopped for speeding on State Highway 2 near Papamoa mid-morning on March 23.

Smith, clocked at 121km/h in a 100km/h zone, was issued with infringement notices for speeding and driving without a licence, which he did not dispute.

Police later laid a charge of driving in a manner which might have been dangerous to the public, which Smith denied.

- NZPA