Drugged and drunk driver led police on midnight chase before spinning van in Swansea

A van driver who cut-up an unmarked police car then led officers on a midnight chase through residential streets refused to take a breath test saying he had drunk "gutter water”.

Scaffolder Richard Evans tried to run from his van after losing control and spinning 180 degrees but was knocked down after the pursuing police car tried to block him in.

Evans suffered serious leg injuries and blood tests taken later showed he was over the driving limits for alcohol and a derivative of cocaine.

Swansea Crown Court heard the pursuit happened shortly after midnight on November 1 last year when a Ford van jumped a red traffic light at the junction of Birchgrove Road and Heol Tylluan in the Birchgrove area of the city.

Hannah George, prosecuting, said the officers followed the van as it headed towards Glais and signalled for it to stop.

The vehicle pulled over and the PCs got out to speak to Evans, but at that moment a male passenger alighted from the van and then it suddenly sped off.

The defendant mounted the pavements as he took corners at speed, before losing control of his van and spinning 180 degrees in the road.

The court heard the officers initially believed the defendant was trying to get his van into gear in order to drive at them and ram their patrol car but when the Ford did not move, they decided to pull forward to block the driver's door.

Miss George said that at that moment Evans got out of the vehicle and was struck by his own door as the cop car collided with it, knocking him to the floor.

The prosecutor said 46-year-old Evans smelt strongly of alcohol and appeared to be under the influence of substances but he refused to take a roadside breath saying he had drunk "gutter water" from the floor.

Officers noticed empty snap-seal bags containing residue of a white power around the van. The court heard he told officers he was an alcoholic and had gone out at 2pm the previous afternoon intending to stop at two drinks but could not remember anything after that.

Evans was taken to Morriston Hospital were open fractures to his tibia and fibula leg bones were diagnosed. He gave a sample of blood for analysis and tests showed he was over the limits for alcohol and benzoylecgonine, the substance formed in the body as cocaine is metabolised.

Evans had previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving with excess alcohol, and driving with a level of a specified drug above the legal limit when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He had three previous convictions for three offences including assaulting an emergency worker in 2019, and driving with excess alcohol in 2000.