Porthcawl man jailed after drinking 10 pints before crashing into vehicles at 80mph

An intoxicated driver who crashed into two cars after drinking ten pints of beer has been jailed.

Paul Dobson, 34, was estimated to be driving between 80mph and 90mph in a 40mph zone when he collided with a Fiat 500 and a Ford Transit van in Bridgend at around 10pm on 10 February.

It caused his car to spin 180 degrees and he was found slumped unconscious over the wheel.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard Jane Walker was inside her Fiat 500 in Heol Las, North Cornelly, and was about to move off when she saw the defendant's Volkswagen Passat driving at excessive speeds in the opposite direction.

She saw Dobson lose control of his car which collided with the front of her vehicle.

Prosecutor Alex Orndal said the defendant then collided with a parked Ford Transit which caused both vehicles to spin.

When he came to a stop Dobson was unconscious and was bleeding from his head and hands.

The fire brigade had to cut Dobson from the wreckage and once free, he tried to walk away.

He appeared intoxicated and was taken to hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.

Police attended the hospital and asked the defendant twice to provide a sample for analysis but he refused on both occasions.

He later admitted he had drunk 10 pints of beer before the collision.

Dobson, of Marine Terrace, Porthcawl, later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to provide a specimen, and driving without insurance.

The court heard he has five previous convictions including drink-driving, possession of an offensive weapon, and domestic violence.

In a victim personal statement read to the court, Ms Walker said: "As a result of this incident I have become a nervous driver and passenger.

"Whenever I see a vehicle coming towards me quickly I'm always concerned they're going to collide with me..."

In mitigation Rhodri Chudleigh said his client, a father of two, had issues with alcohol and with controlling his emotions. He described the defendant as being at a "low ebb" at the time of the collision and was living in a caravan with no electricity and drinking on a daily basis.

The barrister said Dobson had reduced his alcohol and cannabis intake but knows he has a "long road ahead of him".

Sentencing, Recorder Benjamin Blakemore described the defendant's driving as "ludicrous". He added: "You were lucky not to have significant injuries as a result of that. It's more by luck that anybody involved or locally wasn't seriously injured or indeed killed."

Dobson was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment and was disqualified from driving for two years and seven months.

He told Recorder Blakemore he needed to be placed on suicide watch and said: "I'm not coming out of there."

He also told the court someone needed to look after his partner and began swearing and shouting as he was taken down to the cells before an alarm sounded.