Suspended sentence for drug driver

A man who failed to stop for police whilst under the influence of drugs has received a suspended sentence and has been disqualified from driving for 48 months.

Gareth Martin Trow of Ffordd Euryn, Mochdre appeared before Llandudno Magistrates Court on Wednesday, February 8, where he was found guilty of various driving offences.

During the early hours of January 25^th, 2022 officers were on patrol in the Colwyn Bay area when they noticed a silver Vauxhall Astra parked with a sole male occupant within. This vehicle had been seen earlier on in the evening and had caught the officer’s attention due to its manner of driving, however the car made off and wasn’t located at the time.

On the second occasion officers attempted to speak with the driver, however, again he made off and failed to stop when he headed towards the direction of Mochdre before police lost sight of the car.

A short time later, a man who can now be identified as Gareth Martin Trow, was walking along Conway Road, Mochdre. He matched the description of the driver, noticeably he was wearing a bright orange parka jacket. Officers stopped and spoke with Trow, however he made off on foot into a nearby garden where he was quickly found and was arrested on suspicion of various driving offences. The car – which was insured and registered only to Trow was found abandoned nearby.

Following an investigation, the 33-year-old was charged with:

• Driving a motor vehicle whilst unfit through drugs
• Driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit
• Failing to stop for police.

Trow was found guilty and received a 22-week sentence - suspended for 12-months, was disqualified from driving for 48 months, must complete 220 hours of unpaid work and must pay £620 in costs.

PC Haydn Roberts-Powell of the Roads Policing Unit said: “Choosing to drive when impaired by drugs is dangerous and unacceptable. Even a small amount in your system can affect your ability to drive safely.

“We are committed to making the roads safer and have a robust strategy around enforcing the ‘Fatal 5’ offences which includes drug driving. We are on patrol 24/7 and make no apology for stopping motorists who are driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs. Anyone who is considering driving whilst under the influence should know that we will be out and about waiting for them. We’ll continue to crack down on those who take this unnecessary risk and bring them before the courts.”

Notes:

• On 2nd March 2015 the drug driving law changed to make it easier for the police to catch and convict drug drivers. Seventeen legal and illegal drugs are covered by the law including cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine. The specified limits for all illegal drugs are extremely low – taking even a very small amount of an illegal drug could put drivers over the safe driving limit.
• Further info is available via Drugs and driving: the law - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)