A driver sped off when asked to take a roadside breath test and led police on a high-speed chase along the M4 motorway and up the Swansea Valley, a court has heard
Callum Davies reached speeds touching 120mph as he fled from the breathalyser, and police eventually decided to call off the the pursuit as late night temperatures plunged below zero and it became too risky to continue. A judge told Davies his driving had been "a fatal accident waiting to happen".
Swansea Crown Court heard the defendant - who works at the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant building site - has a "significant issue with cocaine", but he is adamant he had not taken any substances on the night in question.
Read more: Get the latest court cases sent to your email inbox with our Crime & Punishment newsletter
Megan Jones, prosecuting, told the court that in the early hours of the morning of December 18 last year a police officer was driving westbound on the M4 near Port Talbot at around 70mph when he was overtaken "at speed" by a BMW X6. The officer followed the vehicle and saw it swerving from lane to lane. The court heard the officer pulled over the BMW and the driver, Davies, said he was driving home from Somerset. The prosecutor said the officer could smell alcohol and asked the defendant to step out of the vehicle and undergo a test - with that Davies accelerated away, and a pursuit ensued.
The court heard Davies raced along the motorway at speeds in excess of 100mph to the Ynysforgan roundabout and then went up the Swansea Valley, and that at one stage he hit 120mph in a 60mph zone. Miss Jones said with temperatures dropping below zero police decided to end the pursuit near Pontardawe on safety grounds.
Davies subsequently attended a police station voluntarily, and in his interview accepted he had been driving the BMW. He said his father had died some six months earlier and he was receiving counselling for anxiety.
Callum Davies, aged 31, of Clyngwyn Road, Ystalyfera, Swansea Valley, had previously pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a roadside test and to dangerous driving when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has three previous convictions for three offences including driving under the influence of drugs, and possession of cocaine.
Andrew Evans, for Davies, said the defendant "bitterly regrets" his decision to drive away from the officer and to drive the way he had, but he said his client was "adamant" that he had not consumed substances on the night in question. He said Davies had had issues with cocaine use, had funding his own stay at a residential addiction centre in Liverpool, and was in touch with the charity Cocaine Anonymous. The advocate said references before the court detailed that his client was a hard-working individual with a high-degree of responsibility at the Hinkley Point construction project, and said his employer had indicated that they would be flexible in accommodating any community-based requirements if the defendant were to retain his liberty.
Judge Paul Hobson told Davies he was quite satisfied - despite assertions to the contrary - that he had been under the influence of drink or drugs or both as he drove along the M4 shortly before Christmas last year, and that was why he had sped off from the officer who wanted to test him. The judge said Davies' driving had put other road users at risk and been "a fatal accident waiting to happen". He said he had read references which testified to Davies being very safety conscious at work but he said it was clear the defendant had a "significant issue with cocaine" and that his life had been "going off the rails for some time".
Judge Hobson said given everything he had read and heard about the defendant he took the view there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and he was prepared to suspended the prison sentence which was due - though he acknowledged that was a decision he had come to "with some hesitation". With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Davies was sentenced to 10 months in prison suspended for two years and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, a rehabilitation course, and a drug treatment requirement. He was also banned from driving for three years and must pass an extended test before he can get his licence back, and he was ordered to pay £420 towards prosecution costs.
Read next:
High speed police chase through Swansea in BMW 'triggered by torture in Kuwait'
Mum of five-year-old Logan Mwangi refused permission to appeal against her conviction for his murder
Online drug dealer who used NHS logo and called himself the Narcotic Health Service busted by FBI
Football club boss claimed abandoned shed was gym in Covid grant fraud
Former professional footballer found working in cannabis farm
You can sign up to our regular Crime and Punishment newsletter here while this interactive tool allows you to check the latest crime statistics for your area:
