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Long arm of the law catches speeder with none

A New Zealand police officer got a shock when he stopped a driver doing 121 kilometers (75 miles) an hour on the east coast of the country's North Island — the man had no arms, a local newspaper said.
/ Source: The Associated Press

A New Zealand police officer got a shock when he stopped a driver doing 121 kilometers (75 miles) an hour on the east coast of the country's North Island — the man had no arms, a local newspaper said.

Instead, the speedster was using one foot to steer the car and the other to operate the pedals, the "Bay of Plenty Times" newspaper said Friday, quoting the officer.

The unemployed 32-year-old told the policeman he had been born without arms and had never held a driver's license, the paper said.

The driver, whose name was not published, was given a 170 New Zealand dollar (US$105; euro87) on-the-spot fine for speeding and banned from driving. Police are considering charging him with dangerous driving, the report said.

Acting Senior Sgt. Deirdre Lackfor of the region's transport police unit said she had "absolutely no sympathy" for the speeding driver.

"Obviously driving at a speed like that, arms or not, you're just waiting for an accident," the paper quoted her as saying.

"You're asking for an accident at 120 kilometers an hour, whether you've got arms or not. Look at the risk he was posing," she added.