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.
