You Can't Fight A DMV-Nominated Samurai Champion In Lieu Of A Trial Anymore

A tipster has sent us a story nine years old but timeless. You might not know that in England, drivers must fill out a specific form in order to avoid paying taxes on an unused vehicle. You also might not know that in Medieval England, trials were often settled by the two parties engaging in single combat. 60-year-old Leon Humphreys knew only one of these things. Guess which one.

Humphreys remained adamant yesterday that his right to fight a champion nominated by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) was still valid under European human rights legislation. He said it would have been a "reasonable" way to settle the matter.

Magistrates sitting at Bury St Edmunds on Friday had disagreed and instead of accepting his offer to take on a clerk from Swansea with "samurai swords, Ghurka knives or heavy hammers", fined him £200 with £100 costs.

£300 might seem like a hefty sum compared to the initial £25 fine for failing to file the correct form, but Humphreys insists that the fight would've been "to the death," so it probably worked out. (H/T L-Crime) Court refuses trial by combat [Telegraph]