Blind speeder is cleared by judge

A Spanish judge has let a blind man go free after accepting his explanation for driving at 154km/h (96mph).

Domingo Merino was accused of fraud by his insurers, who had been ordered to pay him compensation for his loss of sight in a car crash two years earlier.

The company said the fact that he was caught speeding proved he could see.

The judge disagreed, accepting Mr Merino's explanation that his wife had let him take the wheel on a quiet stretch of road, despite his blindness.

He was caught speeding on a stretch of motorway he said he knew like the back of his hand.

The judge in the Barcelona court dismissed the insurance company's complaints, saying a series of medical tests had proved beyond doubt that Mr Merino really could not see.

He acquitted the driver of fraud and ordering the company to pay the compensation in full.