INVENTOR Malcolm Doherty reckons he can save the man with the world's smelliest feet from a prison sentence.

Pungent Dutchman Teunis Teun, known as Rancid Tuen in his home country, found himself in trouble with the law after clearing a public library by taking off his shoes.

The stench was so appalling that Mr Teun ended up being charged with causing a breach of the peace after repeated offences.

When the jobless 39-year-old subsequently appeared in court in Den Haag, he again caused mayhem by exposing the judge to his foul feet.

He slipped off his shoes in the courtroom and had choking lawyers racing for the door.

A court official said: "It was utterly unbearable. The smell was bad enough to clear the court."

The outraged judge fined Mr Teun 250 euros and imposed a two-year probation order, warning him he could go to prison for six months if he committed any further foot-related felony.

Mr Teun said the sentence was unfair because he could not help having smelly feet.

He told the judge: "The only way to get rid of these smelly feet is to wear shoes as little as possible. There is nothing better than giving them some air."

He is lodging an appeal but in the meantime is concerned that he could end up behind bars if someone gets downwind of him and calls the police.

But now design engineer Mr Doherty, 45, of Darlington, has come to his rescue.

Last month, The Northern Echo revealed how Mr Doherty had invented an air purification gadget which can make even the foulest footwear smell like new again.

He came up with the idea because of the stench from his teenage son's trainers.

The inventor heard about Teunis Teun's predicament on the news and contacted the Dutch embassy.

"They told me all about the case and I am trying to organise, through them, a way of getting one of our systems out there to him."

Mr Doherty calls his invention the Tamer Odour Control System. Smelly shoes or trainers are put inside where they are warmed and the resulting fumes are filtered to kill the odour-creating bacteria.