A Merlins Bridge man was more than four times over the legal drug-drive limit

A MERLINS BRIDGE motorist has been banned from the road after being caught driving with cocaine in his system.

Police officers stopped Paul Evans, 39, on June 8 as he drove along Clay Lane, Haverfordwest.

Haverfordwest magistrates heard this week that when officers spoke to Evans, he admitted smoking a cannabis joint the previous day. Blood tests later carried out at the police station showed he had 240 micrograms of benzoylecgonine — a cocaine metabolite — in his system. The legal limit is 50 micrograms.

A number of other drugs were also detected, although these were all below the legal threshold.

Further enquiries revealed that Evans was driving without third-party insurance and otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Evans, of Fern Hill Road, Merlins Bridge, pleaded guilty to all three offences.

He was fined £200 and disqualified from driving for 17 months. He was also ordered to pay £85 in court costs and an £80 surcharge.

A magistrates’ court heard how alcohol misuse after a tragic bereavement led to the offence in Haverfordwest

A MAN who turned to alcohol after the death of his child has been given a conditional discharge after attempting to steal two gas canisters in Haverfordwest town centre.

Andrew Berrigan, aged 39, was arrested in September 2024 after trying to take the canisters, valued at £80, from a property at Winch Crescent.

Appearing before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week, Berrigan pleaded guilty to a single charge of attempted theft.

Mitigating, his solicitor Tom Lloyd said the offence came during a period of profound personal distress.

“This was a very silly and almost inexplicable offence,” he told the court. “Shortly beforehand, he and his partner lost their child, and things spiralled out of control. They were drinking to excess, and he cannot clearly remember what happened that day.”

Mr Lloyd added that Berrigan, of Princess Royal Way, Haverfordwest, has no previous convictions.

Magistrates imposed a 12-month conditional discharge. Berrigan was also ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £26 surcharge.

PEMBROKE DOCK teenager handed curfew and rehabilitation order after court hears of repeated police call-outs

An 18-year-old Pembrokeshire woman has been released on conditional bail after admitting possession of a knife at a Milford Haven retail park.

Jaylane Bamford was arrested shortly after midnight on Sunday (Nov 24) at Haven Head Retail Park, where officers found her with a cut to her hand and a blade in her possession.

Prosecutor Ryan Colamazza told Haverfordwest magistrates this week that police had been dealing with repeated incidents involving the defendant in recent months.

“The police go out, they find her drunk in the street with the same group of friends, they speak with her and she becomes abusive,” he said. “The police are having difficulty dealing with her.”

Mr Colamazza added that on two previous occasions Bamford had been found with injuries to her hand. The most recent incident also placed her in breach of existing bail conditions, which prohibited her from contacting a female who was with her at the time of the arrest.

However, her solicitor Tom Lloyd said the offence must be seen in the context of significant personal difficulties.

“This isn’t simply a young lady running wild in the community and misbehaving,” he said. “This is a young lady with a vast array of problems and difficulties.

“She was in possession of the knife for the sole purpose of causing self-harm, so she’s a threat and a danger only to herself.

“Spending four weeks in custody has been a huge thing for her. She’s found it very difficult and she never wants to go back.”

Appearing via video link from HMP Parc, Jaylane Bamford, of Britannia Drive, Pembroke Dock, pleaded guilty to possessing a blade in a public place and to breaching her bail conditions.

She was sentenced to an 18-month Community Order, including a three-month electronically monitored curfew between 7:00pm and 7:00am, and 18 days of rehabilitation activity requirements. A destruction order was made for the knife.

Magistrates also ordered her to pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 in costs.