A drink driver hit a parked car after a ‘heated argument with his girlfriend’, a court heard.
21-year-old Joshua Wetherill ploughed his Vauxhall Corsa Combo van into a stationary SEAT hatchback in a dramatic crash in Swindon on Saturday 23 March.
Prosecutor Keith Ballinger told Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (9 April) that police were called to the incident in Lyndhurst Crescent, Park North, at around 9.50pm.
On arrival, officers discovered that the defendant had exited the vehicle and abandoned it in a precarious position – with two wheels up in the air.
Mr Ballinger said Wetherill was located at his home address in Buckland Close, just metres from the crash scene, a short time later.
Having failed the roadside breath test, he was arrested and taken to Swindon custody. There he provided an evidence reading of 80 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – where the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
In interrogation, he told officers that he had consumed six pints of cider before leaving the house and driving off during an argument with his partner.
Wetherill pleaded guilty to drink driving, and a charge of failing to stop at the scene of an accident was withdrawn by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Gordon Hotson, defending, said his client had been to a baby shower with his girlfriend and had been drinking – with no intention of driving.
He said the couple went onto the pub and had more to drink, before getting a taxi home. An augment ensued and having “lost his temper”, Wetherill “for reasons he is still trying to fathom today” got into his van and drove away from his address.
He stated that the defendant suffers with anxiety and depression and due to various stresses, he had stopped taking his medication before this incident.
Mr Hotson said that Wetherill is no longer in a relationship with the woman, unable to work as a self-employed decorator due to the loss of his licence and seeking new job opportunities.
Magistrates fined him £200 and imposed a 20-month driving disqualification. He must also pay costs and a surcharge.
