LONDON, Oct 23: A Scottish judge cleared a student from China of a motoring offence after claiming that ‘all Chinese people can look the same’, The Times newspaper reported on Monday.

Sheriff Margaret Gimblett dismissed the evidence of two police officers who had identified Hui Yu, 23, who had been charged with driving without insurance.

She was quoted as telling Greenock Sheriff Court, near Glasgow: “Without wanting to be derogatory in any way, sometimes it is said that all black people look the same at first glance and the same can be said that all Chinese people can look the same to a native Scot.

“It’s only when you have time to look that you begin to see the differences.”

Two police officers identified Hui as a man they stopped at a petrol station but Hui denied the offence, saying he was at his girlfriend’s flat at the time.

Seemingly agreeing with Gimblett, Hui said after the case: “It is true that people from one nationality or race can look the same to people from another nationality or race.’’

A spokesman for Britain’s Commission for Racial Equality watchdog said that the sheriff’s comments were “not particularly helpful”.—AFP