Driver chased man 'he thought was bin Laden'
13 April 2012
A motorist has been given a suspended prison sentence for trying to run over a terrified pedestrian he mistakenly thought was Osama bin Laden.
The victim was chased through the streets of Montpelier before managing to escape when the oncoming car crashed.
The court heard that the driver, a 35-year-old artist, drove through a red light and a pedestrian zone before the chase ended.
The defendant's lawyer claimed that the driver had suffered from an hallucination because he had been traumatised by the Madrid bombings.
"It wasn't bin Laden," he said. "If it was, we would have won five million dollars."
He was told to seek counseling and pay 500 euros in damages.
