A Manorbier motorist has been banned from getting behind the wheel of his car for four years after admitting his third drink-drive charge in the past ten years.
Forty-eight-year-old David James Baker, of Gray Avenue, pleaded guilty to driving his Kia car after consuming so much alcohol that he was over three times the legal limit, when he appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Dennis Davies told the court that police officers on routine patrol on May 17, pulled over Mr. Baker at around 9.45 am, on the Waterloo Industrial Estate in Pembroke.
“Officers could smell alcohol on his breath and a test proved positive. After his arrest, Mr. Baker gave a reading at the police station of 102 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath,” said Mr. Davies, explaining that the defendant had three previous convictions in respect of drink-driving offences in the past 10 years.
Probation officer Julie Norman told magistrates that Mr. Davies had only recently finished serving a community order.
“This was an extremely high reading, and he was over three times the legal limit.
“Mr. Baker tells me that he had drunk the night before to celebrate a friend’s birthday and went out in his car the next morning,” said Mrs. Norman.
Defence solicitor David Williams told the court that mercifully there was no adverse consequence of his client’s drink-driving.
Magistrates told Mr. Baker that it was very worrying that this was his third drink-driving conviction in nine years, before giving him a 12 month community order which included a rehab activity requirement of 25 days and 200 hours of unpaid work.
The defendant was disqualified from driving for 48 months and ordered to pay costs of £85 and an £85 victim surcharge.