Crime
Motorist ordered off the road after driving on cannabis

MERLINS Bridge motorist Claire Evans has been ordered off the roads for 12 months after admitting driving a white Fiat Panda while she was over the legal drug-drive limit.
Police stopped the 26-year-old just before 4pm on October 20 as they observed her driving her vehicle along St Issels Avenue.
“When officers spoke to her, she admitted being a cannabis user who’d last used it the previous weekend,” Crown Prosecutor Abigail Jackson told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.
A roadside drugs swipe proved positive and Evans was taken to the police station for further blood tests to be carried out. These gave a Tetrahydrocannabinol reading of 5.3; the legal limit is 2.
Ms Jackson informed magistrates that the tests also confirmed that methadone was present in her system at the time of the offence, however the reading was under the legal limit.
“There was no accident, and there were no aggravating features,” said her solicitor, Tom Lloyd.
“This is a very vulnerable lady who uses cannabis as a coping mechanism.”
Evans was disqualified from driving for a total of 12 months. She was fined £80 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £32 surcharge.
Crime
Milford Haven man banned for three years after second drug-driving conviction

A MOTORIST who claimed to have taken cannabis “several days” before being stopped by police was found to have over four times the prescribed legal limit of the drug in his system.
Antonio Rodrigues, 27, was pulled over by officers just before 3:00pm on September 13, 2024, while driving his Smart car along an unclassified road off the A40 in Slebech.
A roadside drugs wipe proved positive, and further blood tests at the police custody suite confirmed he had 9.8 mcg of cannabis in his system—well above the legal limit of 2 mcg.
Haverfordwest magistrates heard this week that this was Rodrigues’ second drug-driving offence in a ten-year period.
“He’d taken the cannabis some days before, and there was nothing wrong with his driving,” said his solicitor, Michael Kelleher, after Rodrigues, of Croeso, Steynton Road, Milford Haven, pleaded guilty to the offence.
“He had no idea he was over the limit.”
Mr Kelleher added that Rodrigues self-medicates with cannabis and is in the process of applying for a legal cannabis prescription.
Magistrates disqualified him from driving for 36 months and fined him £120. He was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £48 court surcharge.
Crime
Warrant issued for St Davids pensioner over cannabis possession

A WARRANT has been issued for the arrest of a 71-year-old woman accused of possessing cannabis.
The Crown alleges that Barbara Lewis, of High Street, St Davids, was found in possession of 3.4 grams of herbal cannabis, a controlled Class B drug, during a police search on January 17.
Lewis was listed to appear before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday (Feb 11). Following her failure to attend, magistrates issued a warrant for her arrest at the request of the Crown Prosecution Service.
Crime
Drink driver handed suspended sentence and taken off the road

A BAGLAN man has been handed a suspended prison sentence after admitting to multiple driving offences, including driving while over the alcohol limit and while disqualified.
Nathan Lewis, 42, of Tyn Y Twr, Baglan, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday (Feb 10) and pleaded guilty to three charges: driving a motor vehicle while above the legal alcohol limit, using a vehicle without insurance, and driving while disqualified.
The court heard that on February 8, 2025, Lewis was stopped on the A40 in Llanddewi Velfrey, Narberth, while driving a Toyota Yaris with the registration SL59 YCA. A breath test revealed he had 83 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than twice the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.
Magistrates imposed a four-week custodial sentence for the drink-driving offence, suspended for 24 months, citing his history of two similar previous offences. He was also disqualified from driving for 54 months and ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work within 12 months, along with a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
In addition, Lewis was found to have been driving without valid insurance and while disqualified. He received a further 12-week custodial sentence, suspended for 24 months, bringing his total suspended sentence to 16 weeks. His driving record was endorsed, but no additional penalty was imposed for the insurance offence.
The magistrates stated that the offences were serious enough to warrant imprisonment but acknowledged a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. The case will be supervised by Swansea Magistrates’ Court.
-
featured7 days ago
Culture of fear exposed in damning fire service report
-
Business1 day ago
Digital Marketing Challenges for Rural Welsh Businesses
-
Community6 days ago
National triumph: Pembrokeshire pub ranked among the friendliest in UK
-
Education5 days ago
Excluding pupils for knives ‘too simple’, says Estyn chief
-
News5 days ago
Threatening email revealed: Why Neyland’s clerk missed controversial meeting
-
News1 day ago
Police report filed over Neyland Town Council email controversy
-
News6 days ago
Cat stuck in Pembroke Dock tree for days sparks local rescue effort
-
News7 days ago
Pembrokeshire households could face £250 council tax rise