A man has appeared before Wrexham Magistrates after a drug driving incident in which he nearly ran over a police officer, forcing her to dive for cover.
Prosecuting, Rhian Jackson told the court that police spotted a white van in a supermarket car park at around 2am on August 26, 2022.
It struck them as unusual, and as they approached in their vehicle to investigate further, they ended up “head-to-head” with the van in a narrow section of the road.
The driver explained that he had just been using the cash machine, but officers said he was sweating and appeared nervous.
Officers suspected he may be under the influence of either drink or drugs, but were distracted when a second vehicle pulled in.
As they directed this second vehicle to pull over, the defendant took the opportunity to flee, revving loudly and moving the van forward and lurching over a grass verge before eventually rejoining the road to make his escape.
One of the officers – a Special Constable who had only been on duty for a few weeks, was forced to dive out of the way. The court heard that had she not done so she could have been hurt or even killed.
Police arrested the driver later that day.
During his interview he admitted that he had panicked and made a poor choice, which he regretted. A probation officer said the reason for his panic was that he had cocaine in his possession while he was in the car park and that he “wasn’t thinking clearly”.
An evidential sample found him to have 400mcg cocaine per litre of blood, putting him eight times the legal drug driving limit of 50mcg.
Addressing the high reading, despite the time elapsed between his initial encounter with police and his later arrest, the court heard that he was in “such a state” when he got home that he consumed a significant quantity of the drug before going to bed.
The probation officer added that the defendant’s four-year relationship with his partner had recently broken down and that he had turned to drink and drugs as a coping strategy as he “couldn’t take it well.
Mitigating, Patrick Geddes produced several references, demonstrating that his client – an electrical engineer – was “extremely well regarded” by those in his industry.
After hearing an earlier guilty plea to drug driving, District Judge Gwyn Jones said his starting point should be an immediate custodial sentence, however, he believed there was a realistic prospect for rehabilitation following mitigation and the probation officer’s report.
Judge Jones sentenced the man to 52 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, and banned him from driving for 30 months. He must also undertake 25 days of rehabilitation, complete 200 hours of unpaid work, and pay £85 costs plus a £187 victim surcharge.
About Carl Millar
Carl Millar is a highly respected and experienced drink driving solicitor who is the principal of Millars Solicitors.
Carl has been a specialist in road traffic law for many years and represents clients from all walks of life and all over the Country. He is well known for the dogged defending of his clients and robust cross examination of police officers and exert witnesses.
With a wealth of expertise in motoring law Carl is well placed to provide advice over the phone and deal with all road traffic matters in a calm and professional way.
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