News

Drug driving leads to ban

Published

8 years ago

November 1, 2018

Tom Sinclair

A WOMAN from Haverfordwest appeared before the town’s magistrates on Tuesday (Oct 30) to face a charge of drug driving.

Claire Thomas, aged 33 of Haroldston Close, pleaded guilty to the charge.

Prosecutor, Sian Vaughan, said: “On August 18 just before midnight officers were patrolling Haverfordwest. A car pulled out in front of them narrowly missing them, so they stopped the driver. There was a strong smell of cannabis and she gave a reading of 4.3ug of Delta-9-Ttrahydrocannabinol.”

Defence solicitor, David Elvey, said: “Thomas tells me she does occasionally smoke cannabis: Not recreationally, but because she suffers with anxiety and depression. She was a little bit over the limit.

“She is of previous clean character, and accepts that cannabis is illegal and driving after taking it will land her in court.”

Mr Elvey explained that she had recently secured a job at a hotel, and doesn’t know whether she will be able to get to and from work after losing her licence.

Magistrates disqualified Thomas from driving for 18 months, and ordered her to pay a total of £295, made up of fines, victim surcharge and court costs.

News

Hakin motorist banned after driving 14 times over drug limit

Published

7 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A HAKIN motorist has been banned from driving for three years after being caught behind the wheel with cocaine and benzoylecgonine in his system.

Mark Briskham, 53, of Waterloo Square, Wellington Road, Hakin, was stopped by police on January 5 as he drove a Ford Kuga along Steynton Road, near Milford Haven.

Blood tests carried out at the police station showed he had 800mcg of benzoylecgonine in his system. The legal limit is 50mcg.

He also had 64mcg of cocaine in his system. The legal limit is 10mcg.

Briskham pleaded guilty to two drug-driving charges when he appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

Magistrates disqualified him from driving for three years, taking into account a previous drug-drive conviction from 2020.

He was also fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £48 surcharge.cr

Crime

Begelly man remanded over alleged May Day assault

Published

7 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A PEMBROKESHIRE man has been remanded in custody following an alleged May Day assault against a woman in Begelly.

Tomas Baker, 34, of Ty Dee, New Road, Begelly, is accused of assaulting the woman, causing actual bodily harm, at an undisclosed location in Begelly on May 1.

Baker appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week by video link from Swansea Prison.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

His trial will take place at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on June 22.

Crime

Waterston man denies child rape and sexual assault charges

Published

7 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A WATERSTON man has appeared before magistrates charged with 13 sexual offences against children, including three allegations of raping a girl under the age of 13.

Chaisee Price, 25, of Biggins Hill, Waterston, Milford Haven, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

He faces three charges of raping a girl under 13, eight charges of sexually assaulting girls aged between five and eight, and two charges of intentionally inciting girls under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2014 and 2019.

Price denied all charges.

Because of the seriousness of the allegations, magistrates declined jurisdiction and the case will now proceed to Swansea Crown Court on July 10.

Price was released on conditional bail.

The conditions include a daily electronically monitored curfew between 6:00pm and 6:00am, no contact with the prosecution witness, no unsupervised contact with children under 18, and a requirement to surrender his passport to police.