david morgan
A MAN who took his boss's Mini and smashed it into three parked vehicles while twice the drink-drive limit was on bail for taking the same man's Land Rover and crashing that into two vehicles, a court has heard.
A judge branded David Andrew Morgan, pictured, a menace to other road users — and sent him to jail for two years.
Swansea Crown Court heard that in July this year Morgan was disqualified from driving for 14 months for a drink-driving offence — but the following month he took his employer's Land Rover while drunk and crashed it into a van on Broughton Avenue in Blaenymaes.
Morgan then drove-off — and crashed into a car coming along the road, injuring the driver, before making good his escape by driving away on the pavement.
The court heard Morgan was recognised by witnesses and was arrested by police nearby on suspicion of dangerous driving, to which his response was: "You can suspect all you want".
A subsequent breath test showed he had 66 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath — the legal limit is 35.
The court heard that while he was on bail for those offences he went on a similar escapade — in October he took his now former employer's Mini without his consent and later crashed it into three cars parked on Parkhill Terrace in Treboeth, causing more than £4,000 worth of damage to one of the vehicles and writing it off.
Ieuan Rees, prosecuting, said the 35-year-old was subsequently arrested and taken to Swansea Central police station — but while undergoing an evidential breath test he pulled the plug on the testing machine, causing it to crash.
He was tested again, and the test showed he had 74 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
Morgan, of Vicarage Lane, Cwmdu, had previously pleaded guilty to five offences relating to the October incident, including aggravated vehicle taking, driving under the influence and obstructing a PC, and to two offences relating the August incident — dangerous driving and driving while disqualified — when he appeared via videolink at the crown court.
Frank Phillips, in mitigation, said there was "another side" to his client's character who was a hard-working man, but he accepted he had a problem with alcohol.
Judge Paul Thomas QC said that when Morgan got drunk and got behind the wheel he was a "menace" to other road-users, and that was something the courts "will not tolerate".
The judge sentenced Morgan to a total of two years in prison, and disqualified him from driving for five years.
Read more: http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Jail-man-took-employers-vehicle-drunk-crashed/story-28369814-detail/story.html#ixzz3uTdMrMg3
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