Lee Lock tried responsible the automotive’s spare tyre and the unhealthy climate
A dashing driver who misplaced management on a roundabout and slammed head-on right into a van, a courtroom has heard. Earlier the identical morning Lee Lock’s automotive had been seen swerving forwards and backwards throughout the street, clipping a kerb, and remaining stationary at inexperienced site visitors lights, whereas the defendant himself had been seen “staggering” throughout a storage forecourt.
Swansea Crown Courtroom heard Lock would later blame the climate and the space-save tyre on his automotive for “aquaplaning” on the roundabout.
The courtroom additionally heard {that a} matter of days earlier than the crash the defendant had been banned from driving having clocked up 12 penalty factors on his licence, and a decide mentioned it was clear the 37-year-old had a disregard for the security of different street customers.
Alexandra Wilson, prosecuting, advised the courtroom that on the morning of January 20 this 12 months a motorist close to the positioning of Oakwood Park theme park in Pembrokeshire was following a VW Golf which was seen to be swerving forwards and backwards throughout the street, crossing the white traces in the midst of the street, and clipping the nearside kerb.
The VW was seen to stay stationary at site visitors lights after that they had turned inexperienced, solely transferring off when different street customers beeped their horns.
The courtroom heard that the motorist continued to observe the Golf and watched it pull right into a storage the place the driving force – Lock – was seen to get out and “stagger” throughout the forecourt. The defendant’s driving was reported to the police. For the newest courtroom reviews signal as much as our crime publication
The courtroom heard that a short while later Lock was concerned in a head-on crash on the Sentry Cross roundabout.
The prosecutor mentioned witnesses noticed the Golf method the junction from the path of Neyland “at pace”, and the driving force was seen to “whip” the automotive across the roundabout. The courtroom heard again finish of the VW slid out and Lock over-steered to attempt to right it inflicting him to exit the roundabout on the fallacious facet of the street and to slam head-on into an oncoming van.
The prosecutor mentioned when emergency providers arrived on the scene they discovered each automobiles badly broken, the Golf’s airbags deployed, and Lock “moaning and mumbling” and slurring his phrases. Watch a pedestrian narrowly avoiding being hit as a harmful driver crashes into automobiles and flips his personal automobile over
The courtroom heard the driving force of the van was trapped in his automobile and after being freed was taken to hospital the place he underwent CT and MRI scans.
He later described how the ache brought on by the crash had been “unbelievable” and mentioned he had been “terrified” whereas caught in his crashed van and that every one he might take into consideration what his household.
In his police interview the defendant denied he had been “swerving” throughout the street at any level and he mentioned there had been a space-saver wheel on the automotive and he had aquaplaned on the roundabout on account of the “diabolical” climate.
The courtroom heard that on the time of the driving Lock was being investigated for a weapon offence after police had discovered a knife in a medicine bag beneath the driving force’s seat of his camper van in Cross Arms in Carmarthenshire in June 2024. The defendant advised police the knife was selfmade.
Lee Lock, of Coombs Highway, Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, had beforehand pleaded responsible to possession of a bladed article, harmful driving, driving whereas disqualified, and driving with out insurance coverage when he appeared within the dock for sentencing.
He has 9 earlier convictions for 14 offences, the final being for partaking in controlling and coercive behaviour from 2017. On the time of the crash he was disqualified from driving having been banned as a “totter” with 12 factors on his licence in January 2025.
Caitlin Brazel, for Lock, mentioned the pre-sentence report earlier than the courtroom detailed the defendant’s hostile childhood experiences and traumas which had impacted on his growth and considering processes, and he or she mentioned her consumer had spent the final 18 years on remedy for nervousness and despair.
The barrister mentioned that in their convention her consumer gave the impression to be deeply remorseful for his actions and he or she mentioned he realised he might have been dealing with way more critical fees on account of what occurred on the roads.
Choose Paul Thomas KC advised the defendant that at a time when he had solely not too long ago been disqualified he had pushed dangerously “when clearly effected by alcohol” and had prompted a head-on crash. He mentioned it was “merely good luck” that the driving force of the van which Lee crashed into didn’t undergo critical accidents, and he mentioned it was clear the defendant had no regard for the security of different street customers.
With one-quarter reductions for his responsible pleas Lock was sentenced to 16 months in jail for the motoring issues and two months for the knife offence to run consecutively making a complete sentence of 18 months.
The defendant will serve as much as half the sentence in custody earlier than being launched on licence to serve the rest in the neighborhood. Lock was banned from driving for 3 years and should go an prolonged check earlier than he can get a licence.
