A motorist who pulled over near Tenby to let his girlfriend be sick out of the car, has been charged with drink-driving.
Twenty-one-year-old Daniel Paul Newman, of Ebbw Vale, pleaded guilty to driving his Vauxhall Corsa whilst over the limit when he appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told magistrates that around 11.30 pm on April 21, Mr. Newman was seen standing outside his car in Wooden by a following motorist.
“The defendant’s girlfriend was being sick in the grass verge and the motorist who drove by was concerned, so called the police. When officers arrived, Mr. Newman fully accepted that he had driven the car and had been drinking,” he said.
Mr. Newman explained to officers that he and his partner had been staying at a caravan park in the area with another couple, but that both parties had argued and he had decided to leave and drive back to his home in Ebbw Vale.
A reading taken at the police station showed he had 42 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
“He told officers in interview that he had consumed four cans of cider, but there was no allegation of bad driving,” continued Mr. Pritchard-Jones.
Defence solicitor Mike Kelleher told the court that his client, who was employed as a youth worker, had elected to drive after drinking because the atmosphere in the caravan he was staying at with his girlfriend had become ‘poisonous’ after an argument.
“He felt they couldn’t stay there and decided to drive home, a decision that will haunt him for some time,” he said.
Mr. Newman was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £120 for the offence.
He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £30 victim surcharge.