Wrexham,North Wales - Man crashed Jeep into gate post before swapping seats with passenger

Published date: 30 September 2016 | 

Published by: Staff reporter
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A MAN who crashed a Jeep into a gate post swapped seats with his passenger before the police arrived and denied being behind the wheel.

William Ashley, 51, later agreed he had been driving and it emerged he was four times the limit for cocaine.

Mold Crown Court was told that Ashley, of Long Lane, Pentre Broughton, had 44 microgrammes of cocaine in his blood compared to the legal limit of 10mg.

Prosecuting barrister Hannah Horton said Ashley had 626 microgrammes of a metabolised cocaine, compared to the limit of 50mg.

Ashley had two convictions for drink-driving, which meant he was banned from driving for three years.

But to make matters worse he was at the time subject to a suspended prison sentence from Liverpool Crown Court for possessing cannabis, amphetamine and cocaine with intent to supply.

Defence barrister Myles Wilson said his client had been doing well under the suspended sentence and had been tackling his drugs issues.

The incident involving the car was a blip, he said.

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Judge Rhys Rowlands took on action on the breach of the suspended sentence.

For drug-driving, he received a four-month prison sentence suspended for a year, with £220 costs.

He was “plainly badly affected by cocaine” when he drove, the judge said.

His first reaction was to try and lie his way out of it by saying he was not driving.

But he had read a progress report and it was clear that he had been doing well under the suspended sentence order.

The court was told that police called to Beechwood Avenue at Saltney on the evening of September 5 found a Jeep had mounted a pavement and collided with a gate post.

Police received reports that the driver and passenger had swopped seats before officers arrived.

The defendant was said to be calm and lethargic with his eye lids drooping and he fell asleep during the journey to the police station.

see-http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/167381/wrexham-man-crashed-jeep-into-gate-post-before-swapping-seats-with-passenger.aspx