Published date: 18 January 2017 |
Published by: Staff reporterRead more articles by Staff reporterEmail reporter
A woman passenger punched a car driver in the face as he drove along the A55.
The victim feared that her actions could have led to everyone in the vehicle being killed.
Joanne Claire Roberts leaned across and punched the driver because she wanted a cigarette and couldn’t find them.
Then she tried to punch her daughter, a rear seat passenger, which caused the car to shake.
Flintshire Magistrates Court at Mold heard yesterday how the victim, Geraint Price, stopped on two occasions on the A55 and Roberts then got out and sat on a grass verge.
The driver rang the police because he was concerned for her welfare.
Roberts, 45, of Moorfields, Holywell, admitted two charges of assault, but said she could remember little of the incident because of a mixture of alcohol and prescribed medication.
She received a 90-day sentence of imprisonment suspended for a year and was placed on a 20-week tagged curfew to remain indoors between 6pm and 7am.
Roberts was ordered to pay £150 compensation to each of her two victims, with £85 prosecution costs and a £115 surcharge.
District Judge Gwyn Jones said that he was quite satisfied that the offences were so serious that immediate custody was justified.
“It was an unprovoked attack while in drink on a vulnerable person while he was driving a car on the A55.
“You placed all the parties in that car in danger due to your wish to have a cigarette.”
The judge said she had been drinking and mixing prescribed drugs which no doubt had a significant effect on her.
“You have had difficulties accepting your responsibility for this incident,” he said.
But she had been out of trouble for a number of years and had entered a timely guilty plea which meant a suspended sentence was appropriate.
In a victim impact statement, the driver said that her actions meant that she could have “killed them all” and it put him off having passengers in the car in the future.
Prosecutor Rhian Jackson said that the victim was driving three passengers back from a karaoke night at Rhos-on-Sea on December 15 when the incident happened.
As he left a 50mph area into a 70mph area at Llanddulas, Roberts began looking for her cigarettes and became agitated.
He was concerned about her actions which caused the car to sway.
The driver could not understand what she was mumbling, told her to calm down, but she turned to him square on and punched him in the face, above the lip, as he was driving.
He was shocked and frightened for himself and his other passengers, slowed down near the Kinmel Services and pulled the car to the left side.
She was screaming at him, he could taste blood in his mouth, and he decided to drive slowly to the safety of the services.
He tried to restrain her as she moved about trying to strike her daughter in the back seat.
They stopped at the services and her cigarettes were found down the side near the passenger door.
She calmed down and they continued on their journey but near the marble church at Bodelwyddan she tried to get at her daughter again, was shouting, he stopped before the St Asaph slip road and she got out and slammed the door behind her.
Mr Price needed seven stitched to a puncture injury to the face.
The daughter, Zoe Roberts, 26, had scratches to her face.
Craig Hutchinson, defending, said that it was an unpleasant incident which it was conceded could have resulted in something far more serious.
“Fortunately, that was not the case,” he said.
She was a mother of four and the incident had brought the family closer together.
One of the daughters had moved in with her because she was struggling with health issues.
That day she had taken her medication, was persuaded to go out for the evening, and she foolishly mixed alcohol and the medication, which meant that she had little recollection of her behaviour.
Probation officer Andrew Connah said: “She understands that behaving in this way she placed all those in the vehicle in danger and she does regret her actions,” he said.
The defendant had significant health issues.
She rarely drank alcohol, but had done so that night after taking her medication.
http://www.rhyljournal.co.uk/news/171412/woman-passenger-from-holywell-hit-driver-over-cigarette-as-he-travelled-along-the-a55.aspx
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