Pembroke,South Wales - A drink after work led to three crashes and an assault

Published date: 04 November 2015 | 

Published by: Jennie Mulcahey
Read more articles by Jennie Mulcahey

TWO friends who went out for a pint after work crashed their van three times and one of them assaulted a man.

 

A court heard railway contractors Jason Christopher Evans, 29, and Stephen Walter John Jones, 28, planned to go out for something to eat after they finished work on October 20.

 

Instead they drank alcohol and, at about 10pm, Jones drove the van they had with them through Chirk. 

 

He hit a moving car on Church Street and did not stop.

 

He continued down the same road and hit another car, failing to stop for a second time.

 

Jones collided with a third, parked car near an Indian takeaway, Helen Tench, prosecuting, told Wrexham Magistrates Court.

 

Tajud Miah was inside the take-away and heard the crash. He went outside and began to take pictures of the damage caused to the vehicle when Evans took offence and put his hands around Mr Miah’s throat.

 

Jones, of Castle View, Pembroke, intervened and tried to pull Evans off Mr Miah.

 

The court heard that when the pair were later questioned by police they could not remember much because of the amount of alcohol they had drank.

 

Evans pleaded guilty to assault while Jones admitted driving while over the legal alcohol limit and failing to stop after a road accident.

 

Probation officers said Jones told them he did not know why he made the decision to drive but after hitting the second vehicle, he panicked and continued to drive.

 

They added that he was very remorseful for his actions and realised he was lucky the consequences weren’t much worse.

 

Probation officers said both men, who have been friends for 12 years, regret what happened and had both been dismissed from their jobs.

 

District judge John Maxwell said the two men “work hard but play too hard” and gave them each an eight week prison sentence, suspended for a year.

 

They must each pay costs of £85 and a criminal court charge of £150.

 

Evans, of Cardigan, must pay Mr Miah £200 compensation, while Jones must pay £100 to two of the drivers he crashed in to and £250 to the other.

 

Jones was disqualified from driving for two years and both men must attend 20 days of rehabilitation activities.