Judge orders rehabilitation after ‘exceptionally high’ roadside reading

A JOHNSTON motorist who gave an exceptionally high roadside breath reading after crashing her vehicle into a signpost has been sentenced for failing to provide follow-up specimens at the police station.

Hannah Hayden, 30, was arrested on November 23 following a single-vehicle collision near Llangwm.

“He was travelling in excess of the speed limit,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week. “Both number plates appeared to have been removed from the vehicle, while the roadside breath test gave an exceptionally high reading of 93 mcg.” The legal limit is 35.

After being taken to Haverfordwest police station, Hayden failed to provide further samples for analysis.

Given the high roadside reading, District Judge Mark Layton ordered a pre-sentence probation report. The report stated that Hayden had been “struggling since the loss of her father” at the time of the offence.

Probation officer Julie Norman said Hayden had gone to Haverfordwest earlier that day and consumed wine with friends.
“She was returning to her mother’s address near Llangwm when she lost control of the vehicle,” she told the court. “She was breathalysed at the roadside and gave a very high reading, but she failed to provide at the station because she was very upset.”

Hayden, of Brookside Avenue, Johnston, was sentenced to a 12-month community order, including 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. She was disqualified from driving for 29 months, fined £180, and ordered to pay a £114 surcharge and £85 costs.

Swansea Crown Court sets trial for April 2026

A MAN accused of a string of violent offences against a woman in the west Wales area over several months has pleaded not guilty and will face trial at Swansea Crown Court next spring.

Patrick Smyth, born in 1975 and formerly of Oaks Avenue, Romford, appeared before Swansea Crown Court this (Dec 10) where he denied all charges put to him.

The case follows an earlier appearance at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court in November 2025, where the allegations were first sent to the Crown Court due to their seriousness.

Multiple allegations across several dates

Smyth is accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on multiple occasions, with alleged incidents said to have taken place on September 25, October 24, and October 26 this year.

He also faces two counts of false imprisonment, with the prosecution alleging that a woman was unlawfully detained on July 9 and again on October 26.

In addition, Smyth is charged with engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour between November 2024 and November 2025, an offence brought under the Domestic Abuse Act.

Prosecutors further allege that Smyth made threats to kill and that he threatened a person with a bladed article or offensive weapon on October 26.

No details of the evidence were opened during today’s short plea hearing.

Not guilty pleas entered

Smyth denied all counts and a trial date has now been set for April 21, 2026, at Swansea Crown Court.

He remains on bail until his trial.

Judge says presence of second drug pushed case over custody threshold

A NORTH Pembrokeshire motorist has narrowly avoided an immediate prison sentence after he was caught driving at excessive speeds through Haverfordwest town centre with cannabis, cocaine and benzoylecgonine in his system.

George Cornell, aged twenty-seven and of Golwg y Llan, Eglwyswrw, was stopped by officers shortly after 2:30pm on June 9 as he drove his Peugeot 207 past Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court.

“He was travelling in excess of the speed limit,” Crown prosecutor Sian Vaughan told the court.

Subsequent blood tests showed Cornell had 4.6 mcg of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol in his system, together with traces of cocaine and its metabolite, benzoylecgonine.

District Judge Mark Layton said the presence of a second drug meant the offence “crossed the custody threshold”.

Cornell pleaded guilty. Representing him, solicitor Tom Lloyd said his client had recently suffered two broken vertebrae, forcing him to abandon his work as a full-time carer.

“He’s gone from someone who worked in the caring industry to someone who now needs care himself,” he said. “He is remorseful and terrified of the prospect of prison.”

Cornell was sentenced to eight weeks’ custody, suspended for twelve months. He was disqualified from driving for thirty months and ordered to pay a £154 surcharge and £85 in court costs.