A Tesla-driving businessman came within centimetres of hitting another car as he raced through roadworks at speeds in excess of 80mph, a court has heard.
David Evans was in a line of traffic at temporary traffic lights when he suddenly jumped the queue as the signal turned green, almost colliding with another car as he sped off. Police later estimated he was doing more than 86mph as he raced down the road in his Tesla electric car.
Evans, who runs his own successful business employing 80 people, tried to blame other road-users and the layout of the roadworks and signs for his dangerous driving - excuses which did not go down well with the judge.
Swansea Crown Court heard the incident took place on the A477 in Carmarthenshire on Saturday, March 6 last year. Tom Roberts, prosecuting, said there were roadworks with temporary traffic lights on the stretch of road near the village of Red Roses, and the defendant found himself third in the queue at the lights.
As the signal turned to green, the car at the head of the line began to pull out and move off when Evans suddenly accelerated by, missing the startled couple's vehicle by "centimetres only". The barrister said police later estimated the defendant had been doing between 71mph and 80mph when he passed the car at the front of the queue, his speed increasing to in excess of 86mph as he sped away down the bypass and out of sight.
David Evans, aged 44, of West Williamston, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire, had previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.
Kathryn Lane, for Evans, said the defendant put forward two main points about the incident - namely that he had felt "pressurised" by other motorists at the scene to drive at speed, and had pulled away at speed to "get away from them"; and that the layout of the roadworks and associated signage was wrong, something which an independent expert had confirmed.
She said the defendant was the "hands-on" managing director of a company which he had built up and which now employed 80 people, and it was a role which involved a good deal to travel to Bridgend, Bristol, and London. The advocate said the incident on the bypass was out of character for Evans, adding: "he tells me he does not intend to darken the doors of the court again".
Judge Jeremy Jenkins told Evans he had carried out a "most dangerous piece of driving", and said had the lead car in the queue moved off a little sooner "there would undoubtedly have been a collision". The judge said he rejected the defendant's assertions about the driving of the other road users, and told him that his attempts to blame the road layout did him "very, very little credit".
With a 20% discount for his guilty plea Evans was sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for 15 months, and was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay £1,500 towards prosecution costs. He was banned from driving for 18 months.
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