A man who was stopped in his vehicle at New Hedges for not wearing a seat belt landed himself with a drug-driving charge a court heard this week.
Twenty-seven-year-old John Wood of Partridge Road, Llanhilleth, Abertillery, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday to admit a charge of driving a Renault Clio with a quantity of cannabis in his system
Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court that Mr. Wood was stopped on the A478 road on July 4, at around 9 pm, by police officers on patrol, for a ‘moving traffic offence’.
“Officers could smell cannabis coming from the car and although a breath test showed nothing, a drug swipe proved positive,” he explained.
Defence solicitor Rebecca Carter told the court that Mr. Wood had initially been stopped for not wearing a seatbelt whilst behind the wheel of his car and that there was not suggestion of any bad manner of driving.
Magistrates disqualified the defendant from driving for 12 months and fined him £120 for the offence.
Mr. Wood was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £32 victim surcharge.