Back in 2002 a man in Suffolk (England)
named Leon Humphreys came up with an interesting idea for settling his dispute
with the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency), who accused him of not
notifying them when he took his 125cc motorcycle off the road and did not
re-licence it.
This is an offence, and the DVLA took him
to court so that his local magistrates could levy the appropriate fine.
However, Mr Humphreys objected that this was a flagrant breach of his human
rights and that he would settle the matter as his ancestors would have done,
namely according to the medieval rules of Trial by Combat.
Back in Norman times it was believed that
the victor in a judicial combat had God on his side and must therefore be in
the right.
Mr Humphreys suggested that the DVLA should
put up a candidate to fight him, and he offered that the weapons in question
could be samurai swords, Gurkha knives or blacksmiths’ hammers. However, he did
also point out that the fight would be to the death.
Not surprisingly, Mr Humphreys did not get
his way. The magistrates suggested that, if he was correct in his claim that
trial by combat was still on the statute book, he would need to produce the
statute in question. Unless or until he did so, he would be required to pay a
fine of £200 plus £100 costs.
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