A drugged driver crashed into four parked cars, writing three of them off, and an oncoming people carrier as he fled from police, a court has heard. Christopher Williams was thrown from his Mini Cooper in the collision and was found by officers lying in the road while his two passengers were found unconscious in his car. Swansea Crown Court heard the defendant has a long history of committing motoring offences including three for driving with excess alcohol and 10 of driving while disqualified.
Alycia Carpanini, prosecuting, said shortly before 1am on September 8 last year Williams’ Mini was involved in a brief police pursuit in Townhill, Swansea. The court heard that in Gors Avenue the defendant lost control of his car and ploughed into four parked cars and an oncoming Citroen Picasso. The prosecutor said the pursuing officers were on the scene moments after the collision and found Williams lying on the having apparently been “ejected” from his car. Inside the Mini officers found two unconscious passengers. The driver of the Picasso suffered minor injuries and was in a state of shock.
The court heard officers were initially concerned about the medical condition of Williams but he was soon able to undergo a roadside drug swipe which tested positive for cocaine. The defendant was taken to hospital where at 4am a sample of blood was taken for analysis. The results showed he was one and a half times over the legal driving limit for cocaine and more than six times over the limit for benzoylecgonine, a substance formed when the body metabolises cocaine. Williams subsequently answered "no comment" to all questions asked during his interview.
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The court heard neither of Williams' passengers – Leo Bailey and Damien Picton – had cooperated with the police investigation nor provided details of any injuries sustained in the incident which had informed the choice of charge in the case. Three of the cars the defendant crashed into had to be written off.
Christopher Williams, aged 47, of Pantiago Road, Pontarddulais, had previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, two counts of drug-driving, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, and driving with no insurance when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 21 previous convictions for 43 including driving without due care and attention, driving without insurance, three driving with excess alcohol, and 10 driving while disqualified. In 2021 Williams was sentenced to 12 months in prison after threatening to kill his partner and firing an air rifle at her during a drunken row.
Dan Griffiths, for Williams, said it was accepted the defendant was guilty of a "very, very bad piece of dangerous driving" which had "near catastrophic consequences" and that an immediate custodial sentence was inevitable. The advocate said at the time of the offending Williams had been battling an addiction to Class A drugs but has since sought help and was engaging voluntarily with the Dyfodol drugs agency.
Judge Huw Rees told Williams told the defendant that as he approached the age of 40 it was time he made some decisions about his future and he said addressing his drug habit was a start. The judge said the maximum sentence open to the court for the offence of dangerous driving was one of two years imprisonment.
With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Williams was sentenced to 14 months in prison for dangerous driving. No separate penalty was imposed for the other offences. The defendant will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He was disqualified from driving for a total of four years and seven months and must pass an extended test before he can get a licence.
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