A STROKE victim has won a dispute with a mobile phone company which claimed he ran up a large bill - despite being unable to talk.

Keith Clark suffered a stroke 13 years ago and has been mute ever since.

Earlier this year, he received a bill from Orange claiming he owed the company £94.

The communications company was told Mr Clark could not speak and had never owned a mobile phone.

But it still passed the case to a debt recovery agency.

Mr Clark, 63, of Willance Grove, Richmond, North Yorkshire, received several threatening letters from the agency.

The company warned that if he did not pay an increased amount of £164, he faced court action and a visit from debt collectors.

Friends and family believe Mr Clark, who worked as a builder before his stroke, has been the victim of identity theft. They say someone set up a mobile phone account using his details and then ran up the bill.

The incident has been reported to Richmond police.

His sister, Gillian Merrick, from Brompton-on-Swale, near Richmond, said: "Keith can't speak and he would have no use for a mobile phone. Someone has definitely got hold of his information and done what they've done."

John Young, from Coronation Place, Richmond, spoke to the phone company on his friend's behalf.

He said: "I begged Orange to investigate the case and find out who has been using the phone.

"I told them it was impossible for Mr Clark to obtain, or more so, use a mobile.

"Instead of investigating the matter, as they said they would, they passed the case to a debt collection agency.

"I'm furious and quite frankly I think the whole matter is idiotic. How they could even think of pursuing Mr Clark as they did seriously wants looking into."

After being contacted by The Northern Echo, Orange agreed to stop pursing the outstanding amount.

A spokeswoman for the company said that a letter would be sent to Mr Clark informing him that the bill had been cancelled.