THE family of a disabled man have spoken of their frustration after a hit-and-run driver who knocked him down in the street escaped police action.

Simon King, 23, who has Down’s syndrome, was waiting for a bus in Richmond, North Yorkshire, with his mother, Teresa, and a neighbour when he was knocked to the floor by a reversing car.

He avoided serious injury after Mrs King dragged him away from the rear wheels of the car, which continued to reverse and left the scene.

A bus driver who saw the incident, which happened on March 30, took down the details of the car, a blue Renault people carrier, and Mrs King passed them on to the police.

However, although the police were able to track down the driver to an address in Cumbria, he was only given a warning after he claimed he did not know anything had happened.

Mrs King, of Whitcliffe Grange, in Richmond, said she is angry at the outcome.

“Simon is quite a big lad so I fail to understand how he can say that he didn’t see or feel anything,” she said.

“My friend was hammering on the back of the car window to get him to stop but he didn’t even turn his head to see what was going on.

“I can’t believe the police can’t do anything just because he says he didn’t see anything.

The police officer told me the man was very upset when he was told and apologised, so I suppose I just have to accept that.”

Mrs King said her son was in shock after the incident and was stiff and sore for several days, but has since recovered.

Mr King’s brother, James O’Reilly, said it was “unbelievable”

that someone could avoid investigation by claiming ignorance.

He added: “How can someone get away with dangerous driving just by claiming that they didn’t notice that they knocked someone to the floor and almost ran over their legs?”

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said “The incident has been fully investigated and we are satisfied that no offences have been committed.”