A HEAVY drinking session has resulted in a three-year driving ban for skilled groundworker Darren Sullivan, after he was found behind the wheel with more than twice the legal limit of a cocaine breakdown product in his system.

Sullivan, aged 35, was stopped by officers on October 11 while driving on the A44 near Llandysul. A roadside drugs test returned a positive result, and subsequent blood analysis at the police custody suite revealed 172 micrograms of benzoylecgonine per litre of blood. The legal limit is 50.

This week, Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court that the incident marked Sullivan’s second drug-driving conviction in a decade, following a similar offence in 2017.

“He finished work on the Thursday, had food and drink, but doesn’t remember consuming the cocaine,” said his solicitor, Fenn Richards.

“He went to work early the following morning and was stopped on his way home. He’d consumed a large amount of alcohol but doesn’t recall taking the drug.”

Richards added that Sullivan, of Cilsaig Road, Dafen, Llanelli, is now at risk of losing his job as a skilled groundsman due to the conviction.

Magistrates disqualified Sullivan from driving for 36 months. He was also fined £600 and ordered to pay a £240 court surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs.

A PEMBROKESHIRE man has been sentenced after admitting to brandishing a baseball bat at a person he suspected of drug dealing in his neighbourhood.

Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court heard this week that James Hunt, 39, had become increasingly concerned about alleged drug-related activity on the Mount Estate in Milford Haven.

On April 3, police received a call reporting that a man had been seen on Cherry Tree Close holding what was initially believed to be a sledgehammer. When officers arrived, Hunt informed them the weapon was in fact a baseball bat.

“The officers said the defendant had been having ongoing issues with males riding electric bikes around the estate,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told the court. “So on April 3, he went out with his baseball bat to tell them to get off their bikes.”

The account was supported by Hunt’s solicitor, Fenn Richards, who said her client was on his way home from a 12-hour shift when he was nearly knocked over by one of the bikers.

“He’d seen the supply of drugs on the estate where he lives and believed the individual on the bike was linked to this anti-social behaviour,” she said.

“The defendant has become very concerned about the drug activity and acted on impulse. He intended to damage the bike, not harm the individual.”

Richards added that Hunt now regrets his actions.

“He realises that matters could have escalated that day,” she said. “But he maintains that the individual’s behaviour was morally wrong and posed a risk to the public.”

Hunt, of Larch Road, Milford Haven, pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. He was handed an 18-month community order, including 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 80 hours of unpaid work.

He must also pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 in costs. A forfeiture and destruction order was issued for the baseball bat.

4o

A 19-YEAR-OLD motorist has been banned from driving after admitting to being over the legal drink-drive limit while behind the wheel in Milford Haven town centre.

Police were called to Hamilton Terrace in the early hours of April 5, following a 999 call from a concerned member of the public. On arrival, officers found Chanel Balmont in the driver’s seat of a Fiat 500.

“The car had pulled over, and one passenger inside the vehicle appeared to have an injury,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

“When the defendant was asked if she’d been drinking, she said she wasn’t going to lie and had no intention of denying anything.”

A roadside breath test revealed Balmont, of Waterloo Road, Hakin, had 52 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

She pleaded guilty to drink-driving and was represented in court by solicitor Fenn Richards.

“She had gone out with her friends, and their intention was to get a taxi home,” said Ms Richards. “They called one, but due to her partner’s level of intoxication, they were refused. To make it easier to get home, the defendant decided to drive. She simply wanted her partner to get home safely. She knows it was a mistake.”

Magistrates disqualified Balmont from driving for 12 months. She was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £48 court surcharge.