Little guy wins day

You could call it a victory for the little guy.

A New Zealand-born dwarf living in Melbourne has won an appeal against a fine for tram-fare evasion because he proved he could not reach an onboard ticket machine.

Bruce "Giant" Chaplin, who stands just 1.28m tall, was fined A$150 ($163) in March.

Victorian Transport Minister Peter Bachelor said inspectors should have helped instead of issuing the fine.

"This is justice," Mr Chaplin told the Herald Sun newspaper. The 45-year-old moved to Australia 10 years ago.

Since hitting the headlines, Taumarunui-born Mr Chaplin has had no trouble getting tickets - or shouted beers at his local pub.