Blind man to be sentenced for dangerous driving

LONDON - A blind man who was convicted of dangerous driving after he admitted being behind the wheel of a car that touched 56.32kmh in Oldbury, West Midlands, is due to be sentenced today.

Omed Aziz, who lost his eyes after an explosion in his homeland of Iraq, was following instructions on where to steer and when to brake from a passenger who himself had been banned from driving.

When police stopped the Peugeot 405 in April this year after it had erratically negotiated two traffic islands and a corner, Aziz's passenger explained that his friend was blind.

When Aziz, who is also partially deaf, was asked to step out of the car and remove his sunglasses, the officer was surprised to see he did not have any eyes, Warley magistrates court heard earlier this month.

In his defence 31-year-old Aziz, who also suffers from leg tremors and has only two fingers on his right hand, said he was testing his driving abilities.

At an earlier hearing he had admitted driving with no MOT, no licence and no insurance.

- REUTERS