Swedish man dodges full fine because of 'window envelope phobia'

The Swedish traffic authority has downsized a man’s fine for his traffic offences after learning about his 'window envelope phobia', local media reports.

A Swedish man nearly escaped a fine over his phobia of government letters Source: AFP

A middle-aged man was charged with driving his unregistered scooter without a license near the southern Sweden town of Vittsjö between July 2015 and April 2016.

However the severity of his fine was lessened when he told court he had a phobia of official mail, also known as “window envelopes”, which is sent out to notify people about any offences they have committed, according to Skånska Dagbladet media outlet.

“Purely the sight of [a window envelope letter] results in severe anxiousness,” the man said as quoted by Skånska Dagbladet.

The judge decided he could not have known that he needed a license without opening the letters.