Second conviction leads to lengthy ban and community order

A MOTORIST who drove home from the pub believing she had consumed just two glasses of wine was later found to be more than three times the legal drink-driving limit.

Rhiannon Butler, 40, was stopped by police as she drove her Volkswagen Golf along Pembroke Street, Pembroke Dock, on Saturday (Nov 30).

“There was a strong smell of alcohol inside the vehicle and when she was asked about this, she said she was a recovering alcoholic who worked in a pub, which was why she smelt of alcohol,” Crown Prosecutor Ryan Colamazza told Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week.

Butler initially refused to provide a roadside breath sample. When she eventually agreed, the reading showed 125 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35. Further breathalyser tests carried out at the police station later recorded a reading of 109.

Butler, of River View, Stranraer Road, Pennar, pleaded guilty to the drink-driving offence. The court was told this was her second conviction for drink-driving, following a previous court appearance in 2020.

Due to the high reading, magistrates requested a pre-sentence report from the probation service before passing sentence.

“She’d been working that day and had drunk some alcohol when she finished,” the probation officer told the court. “She thought she’d had two glasses of wine, but people were filling up her glass, so she was unsure how much she’d drunk.”

Butler was disqualified from driving for a total of 40 months and given a 12-month community order. She was ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. She must also pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 in costs.

Pembrokeshire defendant accused of abuse towards woman and four-year-old child

A 28-YEAR-OLD Pembrokeshire man has appeared before magistrates charged with subjecting a woman to months of controlling and coercive behaviour, as well as assaulting her and her young child.

Jake Davies, of Stokes Avenue, Haverfordwest, is accused of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour towards the woman over a period of more than five months. He is also charged with assaulting the woman by beating and with assaulting her four-year-old child.

The Crown alleges that between August 1 and December 1, Davies repeatedly prevented the woman from using social media and from contacting her friends. He is further accused of threatening to kill himself if she left the property.

Davies was arrested on December 14 after allegedly throwing the woman against a bannister inside her home.

“All he was saying, repeatedly, was that he wanted no further action taken against him,” Crown Prosecutor Ryan Colamazza told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“That was the sole thing he was talking about while he was assaulting her.”

Mr Colamazza said the relationship began to deteriorate in August.

“He’s been very controlling about who she sees and he’s very jealous of her,” he said. “His aggression then turns towards the child – on one occasion he threatened to cut off the child’s fingers.”

Davies appeared before the bench in custody, where he denied all three charges of assaulting the woman and her child, and of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour.

Despite an application by the Crown Prosecution Service to remand Davies in custody ahead of his Crown Court appearance, magistrates agreed to release him on conditional bail.

The conditions require that Davies lives and sleeps at his home address in Stokes Avenue, Haverfordwest; reports to Haverfordwest police station three times a week; does not enter Milford Haven or the surrounding area; and has no direct or indirect contact with the complainant. He must also comply with a daily electronic curfew between 7:00pm and 7:00am.

Davies is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on January 16.

Customer admitted becoming ‘violent and unpleasant’ when drinking

A COURT has heard how staff and customers at the Haverfordwest branch of Home Bargains feared for their safety when a customer went on a drunken rampage inside the store.

Staff member Christine Campion became aware of the growing concern on the afternoon of October 23 as Christian Teeley, 22, began hurling drunken abuse at shoppers.

“She heard people shouting ‘Get him out,’ and could see Christian Teeley swearing at random members of the public,” Crown Prosecutor Ryan Colamazza told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“She asked him to leave the store, but he then started swearing at her and began walking towards her. She was concerned that he was going to be violent.”

Although Teeley did not physically assault the complainant, magistrates were told that his actions caused her to fear immediate violence. As a result, he was charged with common assault, as well as using threatening and abusive words and behaviour. He pleaded guilty to both offences.

During a subsequent police interview, Teeley admitted that he becomes “violent and unpleasant” when under the influence of alcohol.

The court was also told that the incident took place just three months after Teeley had received a conditional discharge for behaving aggressively while drunk towards staff at Withybush General Hospital. The latest offence therefore placed him in breach of that sentence.

Teeley, of Cherry Tree Close, Milford Haven, was sentenced to an 18-month Community Order, during which he must complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He was also ordered to wear an alcohol monitoring tag.

He must pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 in costs.