Police found Gareth Cotton almost twice the legal alcohol limit and carrying cannabis

A FISHGUARD farm worker has been banned from driving after being caught behind the wheel in Haverfordwest while almost twice the legal alcohol limit.

Gareth Cotton, 33, of Plas y Fron, Fishguard, was stopped by police at around midnight on July 6 as he drove his van along Pope Hill.

“The officers could smell intoxicants and the defendant was slurring his words and was unsteady on his feet,” Crown Prosecutor Nia James told Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

Cotton later admitted that he had consumed several alcoholic drinks earlier that evening.

A breathalyser test showed that he had 61 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

During a search, officers also found 1.2 grams of cannabis in his possession, with an estimated street value of £12.

Cotton, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to drink-driving, driving without third-party insurance and possessing cannabis, a Class B controlled drug.

Defence solicitor Jess Hill told magistrates that Cotton had been driving to buy food when he was stopped.

“He now realises this was a big mistake,” she said.

Magistrates disqualified Cotton from driving for 17 months and fined him £276.

He was also ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £140 court surcharge.

Defendant faces four sexual offence charges relating to an alleged incident at a town-centre property

A 38-YEAR-OLD man accused of attempting to rape a woman at a property in Haverfordwest has appeared before magistrates.

Ilhan Zaidov, a Turkish national, is alleged to have attempted to penetrate the woman’s mouth with his penis during an incident on September 6, 2025.

He is also charged with two counts of attempting to engage the woman in sexual activity and one count of sexual assault.

Zaidov, of Ladysmith Road, Tottenham, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

Because of the seriousness of the allegations, magistrates declined jurisdiction and sent the case to Swansea Crown Court, where Zaidov is due to appear on August 21.

He was released on conditional bail.

The conditions require him to live and sleep at his home address in Tottenham, prohibit him from entering the Haverfordwest property where the alleged offences took place, and prevent him from contacting the complainant directly or indirectly.

Van driver had 2.2 micrograms of cannabis compound THC in his blood, against a legal limit of two

A MILFORD HAVEN motorist has been banned from driving after being found marginally over the legal drug-drive limit.

Martin John Hughes, 34, was stopped by police shortly before 10am on January 23 as he drove his Peugeot van along the A477 at Johnston.

A roadside saliva test returned a positive result, and Hughes was taken to a police station for further testing.

A blood sample showed he had 2.2 micrograms of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, per litre of blood. The legal limit is two micrograms.

Hughes, of Croft Avenue, Hakin, Milford Haven, pleaded guilty to drug-driving when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

He was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £120.

Hughes was also ordered to pay £85 in prosecution costs and a £48 surcharge.