Defendant denies dangerous driving and causing woman actual bodily harm during road dispute

A HAVERFORDWEST man is to stand trial at Swansea Crown Court accused of driving his Mercedes into a woman during an alleged altercation, causing her actual bodily harm.

Barrie Knight, 59, of Dennant House, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and dangerous driving.

Crown Prosecutor Charlotte Thomas told the court the alleged incident took place at Spring Gardens, Barn Street, Haverfordwest, on July 6.

“The victim had gone out of her home address and spoke to the defendant regarding an on-going road dispute,” she said.

“The defendant then gave her the middle finger, called her a c*** and drove his vehicle towards her, hitting her with the bonnet.”

The Crown alleges the woman sustained tyre-mark injuries to the front of her feet, along with swelling, bruising and grazing to her elbows and to the skin around her ankles.

Knight denied the allegations.

Magistrates declined jurisdiction following an application by the Crown, meaning the case will now be dealt with at Swansea Crown Court.

Proceedings are due to commence on February 13. Knight was released on unconditional bail.

Father-of-four was almost four times over legal limit when stopped in Pembroke, court hears

A FATHER-of-four has been banned from the roads after being caught driving almost four times over the legal drug-drive limit.

Steven O’Donnell, 23, of The Caravan, Roselea, Llanelli, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week where he pleaded guilty to drug-driving.

The court heard O’Donnell was stopped by police on October 19 as he drove a Renault Kangoo along Holyland Road, Pembroke.

Officers reported smelling cannabis coming from the vehicle and carried out a roadside drugs wipe, which proved positive. A blood test later taken at the police station showed O’Donnell had 9.1 microgrammes of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in his blood. The prescribed legal limit is 2.

His solicitor, Liam Francis, said the stop had been routine.

“This was a routine stop test, he’d been using cannabis at the time and was somewhat naive regarding how long it stays in the system,” he told magistrates.

O’Donnell was disqualified from driving for 14 months. He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £48 surcharge.

Court hears allegation woman was touched without consent at property in Johnston

A MILFORD HAVEN man has appeared before magistrates charged with sexually assaulting a woman at a property in Pembrokeshire.

David Fletcher, 45, of Chestnut Way, Mount Estate, Milford Haven, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

He is accused of intentionally touching a woman in a sexual manner at Silverdale Lodge, Johnston. The court heard the allegation involved the woman being given alcohol while Fletcher made flirtatious comments.

Crown Prosecutor Charlotte Thomas told magistrates the woman was sitting on Fletcher’s lap and that he kissed her, but she refused to kiss him back.

“He put his hands in her trousers and she pushed him away, but then he touched her over her clothing, on her vagina and her chest,” she said. “Once again, the woman pushed him away.”

Fletcher denied the sexual assault.

He elected to be tried in the magistrates’ court and was released on conditional bail pending a trial on February 25.

The bail conditions are that he must not contact the complainant or any prosecution witnesses directly or indirectly, must not enter Silverdale Lodge, Johnston, and must not post anything on social media that could interfere with the trial.