A grieving man was caught over the limit at a petrol station in Welshpool by police officers.
Richard Ashley, 41 and living in Broad Street in Welshpool, appeared at Magistrates Court on Tuesday to admit one charge of driving a motor vehicle above the alcohol limit.
The court heard that on August 5 this year, police had been called to The Raven Inn in Welshpool after reports from staff that a man – Ashley – had been drinking at with his friends and was revving his car to drive off.
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Police arrived at the pub at about 10pm but he had already left; however, they found him at the Applegreen petrol station in Salop Road with the door open and the defendant smelling of alcohol.
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He gave a roadside test of 93 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath – nearly twice the legal limit – and was arrested.
Defending solicitor Geraint Parry asked the court for a probation report and, after a brief adjournment, Magistrates heard that Ashley accepted responsibility for the incident.
They added that while he did not seek to excuse his behaviour, he told probation that the day had been the anniversary of his partner’s death, which Mr Parry added further that the defendant had been the one to find her and perform CPR.
Probation added that Ashley told them he was lonely as he lived alone, using alcohol to self-medicate to help with his unprocessed grief.
Mr Parry added that his client ‘was deeply sorry’ for the incident and he added further mitigation was the lateness of the incident with less traffic on the road.
Magistrates gave Ashley a 12-month community order, with 15 rehabilitation activity days and also disqualified him for 23 months.
However, chairman of the bench Nicholas Powell offered him the opportunity to complete a drink-driving rehabilitation course which, if completed, means he can re-apply for his licence in March 2026 instead of August 2026.
He was also given a two-month alcohol abstinence monitoring order, beginning immediately.
He was ordered to a £114 victim surcharge and £85 costs at £50 a month.
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