A pub worker drove into another vehicle after spending the night drinking and taking drugs at a party. Larisa Jones had been speeding while giving a lift home to two friends on the morning of August 21 last year when her car struck another vehicle – injuring one of her passengers so seriously he spent weeks in an induced coma.
Yet in a letter read to Swansea Crown Court the victim, Billy Wathan, said he didn't wish to see his friend imprisoned. Prosecutor Dean Pulling told the court the 21-year-old had been working at the Castle Hotel in Pontardawe before joining friends at Kitty's in the town when she finished her shift. She had then headed to a house party with friends, including Mr Wathan, where she had taken cocaine. At 9am on August 21, having turned down an earlier request for a lift in her car she agreed to take Mr Wathan and another friend, Chloe McQuaide, home.
Despite wet driving conditions and a 30mph speed limit Jones drove her Renault Twingo at speed through Ynysmeudy before hitting a Citroen being driving "cautiously" by 50-year-old Andrea Wheelhouse. The Twingo then somersaulted into the air before colliding with a lamppost. Forensic investigations who examined CCTV footage from a property along the route estimated Jones had been driving at between 54 and 67mph.
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Mr Pulling said a van driver using the same stretch of road described seeing Jones' car coming round a bend on the wrong side of the road. Mr Wathan, who hadn't been wearing a seatbelt, received the most serious injuries of all the travellers with numerous facial injuries, a bleed to his brain, broken hips and a collapsed lung. He was taken to University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff and needed to be put into an induced coma for a number of weeks. He was later transferred to Morriston Hospital before moving back in with his mother whose home was adapted to accommodate his injuries. He needed to use a wheelchair for a number of weeks, affecting his ability to care for his young son, and had been unable to find suitable employment. He also experienced seizures.
But Mr Pulling read a letter to the court by Mr Wathan in which he said: "I do not blame [Jones] for the collision. It was an accident, it was not intentional. I want her to know I do not want her to go to prison." Ms McQuaide received lesser injuries, which included a fractured wrist. In a victim impact statement Ms Wheelhouse said she had experienced constant pain following the collision, as well as flashbacks and difficulty sleeping, in addition to having to pay £1,600 for a new car to replace her damaged vehicle.
Jones was later found to have a reading of 85mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood – the legal limit is 80mg. In addition she was found to have 630mg of a cocaine metabolite in her blood making her 12-and-a-half times over the legal limit of 50. Jones, of Bethesda Road, Ynysmeudwy, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving with excess alcohol, and driving with excess drugs.
Mitigating, Giles Hayes said Jones was of previous good character with no convictions and had previously worked in a care home but had been dismissed due to her "chaotic lifestyle". He said: "She is well aware of the nature and seriousness of these offences. She showed a grave error of judgement that will not be repeated. She has expressed genuine remorse and accepts full responsibility and does not justify her actions in any shape or form. The pre-sentence report suggests she is of low-risk of reoffending".
Sentencing, Judge Huw Rees said: "These three offences are arising from your wholly inappropriate driving by reason of the state you were in. You were on a road in your own village and the consequences were serious injury. I am sure you know they could have been catastrophic. You were on a road you would have been familiar with but with an excess of speed and disregard for the wet conditions. You were totally unfit to drive and you drove illegally and when significantly impaired through drink and drugs.
"Mrs Wheelhouse was driving carefully at around 23mph in the 30mph zone. You were estimated to be travelling at between 54 and 67mph. Mrs Wheelhouse was taking care of the road conditions and reacted to them appropriately. In comparison you lost control because of your speed and went into the back of her vehicle. "Billy Wathan was treated as an intensive care patient for two weeks in hospital during which he contracted Covid. The effect on him has been made clear – it was profound and considerable and has affected him and his family."
He added: "There is considerable mitigation in your case. You had the good sense to plead guilty before magistrates and the maturity you have shown, no doubt a reflection of your good upbringing, and your remorse. You have a stable background and are living at home with your mother and brother. You know the ills of mixing with people who drink too much and take Class A drugs."
Jones was jailed for a total of 22 months and was told she would serve half of that in custody before being eligible for release on licence. She was also disqualified from driving for four years and 11 months.
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