Test cheat man avoids prison

A partially sighted lorry driver who ran over and killed a colleague after cheating an eye test to obtain a large goods vehicle licence was given a six-month suspended prison sentence.

William Seago of Somerset, who was blind in his right eye, failed to disclose his disability and managed to get a job driving a council refuse truck by memorising the bottom two lines of a test chart to pass the LGV test in September 2003. The charge of dangerous driving was dropped to careless driving when it emerged his vision did not cause the accident.

He pleaded guilty to careless driving and making a false statement on a driving licence application and his licence will now be restricted to small vehicles.