Judge says driver showed “breathtaking arrogance” after taking cocaine, cannabis and diazepam

A SENIOR council officer’s son came close to immediate imprisonment after driving dangerously for several miles while under the influence of three drugs before crashing into two vehicles on the A40, a court has heard.

Benedict Bramble, aged 24, of Saundersfoot, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after admitting dangerous driving and three counts of drug driving following the incident near Haverfordwest on Thursday, May 15.

The court heard that Bramble was driving an Audi A3 when members of the public contacted police to report his erratic behaviour on the road.

Prosecutor Dean Pulling said one witness described the driving as “completely erratic and utterly dangerous,” with the defendant seen swerving across the carriageway, crossing solid white lines and overtaking other motorists.

At one point, Bramble was observed changing his clothes while driving in slow-moving and queuing traffic.

Dashcam footage shown to the court captured the defendant narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with a tractor while attempting an overtaking manoeuvre, having to sharply pull back into his lane.

The incident came to an end at around 3.40pm after a seven-mile stretch of dangerous driving, when Bramble collided with two vehicles, both of which were written off.

The court was told that tensions were high at the scene, with one motorist so angry at Bramble’s actions that they assaulted him following the crash.

Blood tests later revealed Bramble had 240 micrograms of cocaine, 2.8 micrograms of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 1,155 micrograms of diazepam in his system at the time of the collision. He was five times over the legal limit for a cocaine derivative.

The case was initially heard at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, November 25, where Crown Prosecutor Nia James told the court that two vehicles had been written off as a result of the crash.

“The Crown puts this at the starting point of 18 months in custody,” she said.

Due to the seriousness of the offences, District Judge Mark Layton declined jurisdiction and committed the case to Swansea Crown Court for sentence. Bramble was given an interim driving disqualification and released on unconditional bail.

During that earlier hearing, Bramble was accompanied by his father, Will Bramble CBE, a retired army major general and the chief executive of Pembrokeshire County Council.

At sentencing, the court also heard that Bramble had a previous conviction for driving without due care and attention in New Hedges, near Tenby, committed just three days before the A40 incident.

Defending, Mark Haslam said his client had strong family support and had shown genuine remorse.

He told the court: “There are extremely powerful character references which speak very highly of this defendant and his potential.

“He has stopped taking drugs and understands the seriousness of what he has done.

“If he goes to prison today, he will lose his job and probably lose his relationship.”

Passing sentence, Judge Huw Rees told Bramble: “You displayed breathtaking arrogance in driving in this way.

“You took hideous risks.

“You could have killed somebody that day — you could have killed yourself.”

Bramble was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to pay £582 in fines, costs and surcharge, and was banned from driving for two years and ordered to take an extended retest.

Commenting on how narrowly he avoided being jailed straight away, Judge Rees added: “You have come as close as close can be to serving this sentence immediately.”