Latest news with #FordC-Max
Western Telegraph
04-05-2025
- Western Telegraph
Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire motorists in court
The six defendants were accused of offences including drink and drug-driving, speeding, refusing to take a breathalyser test, and keeping an untaxed vehicle. Their cases were heard at Llanelli Magistrates' Court. For the latest crime and court news for west Wales, you can join our Facebook group here. Here's a round-up of the cases. SEAN AGNEW, 58, of Vetch Close in Pembroke, has been banned after driving whilst over the drug-drive limit. Agnew was behind the wheel of a Nissan Qashqai on Hywel Way in Pembroke on August 1. When tested, he recorded having more than 92 micrograms of benzoylecgonine – the main metabolite of cocaine – per litre (µg/L) of blood. The legal limit – to exclude accidental exposure – is 50µg/L. Agnew pleaded guilty to a charge of driving whilst unfit through drugs at Llanelli Magistrates' Court on April 3. He was banned from driving for three years, and has been ordered to pay a £180 fine, £400 in costs, and a £72 surcharge. HANNAH RAWLINGS, 30, of The Paddock in Penally, was caught speeding on the A48 in Carmarthenshire. Rawlings was clocked by a manned speed camera doing 79mph in a BMW on the 70mph limit A48 at Pensarn on October 5. She pleaded guilty, and was fined £170 at Llanelli Magistrates' Court on April 15. Rawlings must also pay £90 in costs and a £68 surcharge, and had three points added to her licence. JAMIE WATKINS, 44, of Woodfield Grove in Cosheston, has been disqualified after being caught at twice the drink-drive limit. Watkins was driving a Ford C-Max on the A484 in Llanelli on August 2 last year. When breathalysed, he recorded having 71 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35. Watkins pleaded guilty to drink-driving, and was banned from driving for three years at Llanelli Magistrates' Court on April 10. He was fined £345, and must pay costs of £85 and a £230 surcharge. BRENNAN FINDLAY, 31, of Isambard Gardens in Neyland, has been ordered to pay more than £1,000 after he was accused of using a phone at the wheel and driving without insurance. Findlay was charged with using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving a Citroen Berlingo on the A477 Llanddowror to Red Roses bypass on November 24. He was also accused of driving without insurance on that date. The defendant failed to show up at Llanelli Magistrates' Court on April 9, and he was further charged with failing to give information relating to the identification of the driver of a vehicle when required. The previous offences were withdrawn by the prosecution, and Findlay was found guilty of the failing to give information charge after it was proved in his absence. Findlay was ordered to pay a £660 fine, £110 in costs and a £264 surcharge, and had six points added to his licence. HOLLY WILLIAMS, 40, of The Cross in Cosheston, has been banned from driving after refusing to take a breathalyser test. Williams was accused of driving without due care and attention after she was behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz X-Class on the A477 at Haverfordwest on November 22. She was also accused of failing to provide a sample for analysis, after it was alleged that she refused to take a breathalyser test when accused of having committed a driving offence on that date. Williams denied careless driving, but admitted failing to provide a specimen for analysis. She was sentenced at Llanelli Magistrates' Court on April 10 to a one-year community order. As part of this, she must complete 90 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Williams must also pay £400 in costs and a £114 surcharge, and was banned from driving for 17 months. The prosecution offered no evidence for the careless driving offence, and the court entered a formal not guilty verdict. SAIHOBA SUSSO, 60, of Cwmbach, admitted keeping an untaxed car. It was alleged that Susso kept or used an untaxed Vauxhall Corsa on the A40 at Abernant on November 20, when the tax had run out on August 27. Susso pleaded guilty at Llanelli Magistrates' Court on April 11. The defendant was sentenced to a £40 fine, and must pay £100 in costs and £40 in vehicle excise back duty.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Cocaine addict mother so ‘out of it' passers-by took her car keys and walked children to school
A cocaine addict mother was so 'out of it' on the school run a passer-by took her car keys and walked her children to class, a court heard. Hayley Berry, 36, was told by a magistrate it was 'one of the worst examples of drug-driving' he had ever seen. Other parents were concerned after Berry stopped her Ford C-Max in the middle of Grosvenor Road in Broadstairs, Kent, last year. A stranger – worried she was not in a fit state to drive – took her keys while others walked her children the rest of the way to their school, it was said. The police were informed and Berry was arrested at the scene and later charged. The mother, from Ramsgate, admitted drug-driving and driving while unfit through drugs when she appeared before magistrates in Margate on March 7. The court was told that when her blood was tested she gave a reading of 83 micrograms of the cocaine byproduct benzoylecgonine per litre of blood. The legal limit is 50. Magistrates heard she also had GHB – a drug with sedative and anaesthetic effects – in her system on the day she was arrested, but had not been over the limit for that substance. Lucie Fish, prosecuting, told the court Berry had stopped in the middle of the road with her children in the back on November 11 last year. Ms Fish said: 'A man took the keys because she looked like she wasn't in a fit state [to drive]. 'He put his hand up and stopped her and did take the keys, but then she parked up and some women walked the children to school.' Nigel Numas, defending, read out a reference from Berry's 'cocaine sponsor' – a recovering addict who helps someone to maintain sobriety – who said Berry had made some personal growth in the 24 months she had known her. The reference said she was now making better choices in her life, took responsibility for her actions, had genuine remorse and was determined to rebuild her life. Mr Numas added: 'The process [of her trying to beat cocaine] has been going on for a couple of years, but a man she was seeing gave her what she thought was a legal high and she drank it and didn't realise it was GHB. 'She's had two relapses [in the 24 months] so she's making great strides, but she was naive about what she drank.' Magistrates jailed Berry for eight weeks, but the term was suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. The chairman of the bench said: 'I must say this is one of the worst examples of drug-driving I've come across. You had your youngest children in the back of the car and you were out of it. 'I don't want to think what could have happened.' Berry was also disqualified from driving for 30 months and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 and £85 court costs. She will pay what she owes the court at a rate of £20 a month as she is on Universal Credit. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
17-03-2025
- Telegraph
Cocaine addict mother so ‘out of it' passers-by took her car keys and walked children to school
A cocaine addict mother was so 'out of it' on the school run a passer-by took her car keys and walked her children to class, a court heard. Hayley Berry, 36, was told by a magistrate it was 'one of the worst examples of drug-driving' he had ever seen. Other parents were concerned after Berry stopped her Ford C-Max in the middle of Grosvenor Road in Broadstairs, Kent, last year. A stranger – worried she was not in a fit state to drive – took her keys while others walked her children the rest of the way to their school, it was said. The police were informed and Berry was arrested at the scene and later charged. 'Wasn't in a fit state' to drive The mother, from Ramsgate, admitted drug-driving and driving while unfit through drugs when she appeared before magistrates in Margate on March 7. The court was told that when her blood was tested she gave a reading of 83 micrograms of the cocaine byproduct benzoylecgonine per litre of blood. The legal limit is 50. Magistrates heard she also had GHB – a drug with sedative and anaesthetic effects – in her system on the day she was arrested, but had not been over the limit for that substance. Lucie Fish, prosecuting, told the court Berry had stopped in the middle of the road with her children in the back on November 11 last year. Ms Fish said: 'A man took the keys because she looked like she wasn't in a fit state [to drive]. 'He put his hand up and stopped her and did take the keys, but then she parked up and some women walked the children to school.' Nigel Numas, defending, read out a reference from Berry's 'cocaine sponsor' – a recovering addict who helps someone to maintain sobriety – who said Berry had made some personal growth in the 24 months she had known her. The reference said she was now making better choices in her life, took responsibility for her actions, had genuine remorse and was determined to rebuild her life. 'Naive about what she drank' Mr Numas added: 'The process [of her trying to beat cocaine] has been going on for a couple of years, but a man she was seeing gave her what she thought was a legal high and she drank it and didn't realise it was GHB. 'She's had two relapses [in the 24 months] so she's making great strides, but she was naive about what she drank.' Magistrates jailed Berry for eight weeks, but the term was suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. The chairman of the bench said: 'I must say this is one of the worst examples of drug-driving I've come across. You had your youngest children in the back of the car and you were out of it. 'I don't want to think what could have happened.' Berry was also disqualified from driving for 30 months and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 and £85 court costs. She will pay what she owes the court at a rate of £20 a month as she is on Universal Credit.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
Milwaukee teen gets 17 years in shooting death of Cordell Smith
It's a scene that has become frustratingly more common in Milwaukee lately – a car weaving perilously down often-narrow neighborhood streets, tires screeching, with a person or two poking out from the passenger windows flailing their arms or throwing up hand signs. Only this time, gunshots were also heard, and a video of happened was recorded. In the end, a Milwaukee teenager lost his life. And another teen is headed to prison to answer for it. Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey A. Wagner on Friday sentenced Cordell Smith to a total of 17 years behind bars for his role in the June 2 shooting death of Shyir McCoy, 16. The case against Smith, 17, drew the attention of a fledgling court-watching group that has called for courts in Milwaukee County to mete out stiffer sentences for people convicted in cases with roots in reckless driving. Milwaukee police received a ShotSpotter report on June 2 at 6:25 p.m. that sent officers to the 3800 block of West Meinecke Avenue. There, they met the driver of a Tesla who claimed to have recorded a shooting on the vehicle's camera. Officers later got a call directing them to St. Joseph Hospital regarding a homicide investigation. A witness told investigators McCoy was in a stolen Kia Sportage with three friends when a black Hyundai, "driving recklessly back and forth down the street" became visible to them, according to a June 21 criminal complaint. Gunshots rang out, prompting everyone in the Sportage to duck. "I think I'm shot," McCoy declared, according to the complaint. The driver of the Sportage called McCoy's mother, who followed the mother's instruction to bring McCoy to her. Eventually, McCoy was taken to St. Joseph, where he later died. Another witness told investigators they had seen the Sportage "driving recklessly" on Meinecke Avenue moments before the shooting. The witness noted the vehicle that was recorded was driving in a manner reminiscent of the behavior seen widely of the Kia Boyz, a loosely connected band of teens and young adults who authorities have blamed largely for a surge in car thefts in Milwaukee and throughout the Midwest. Smith was later wanted for taking another vehicle, a Ford C-Max, in an unrelated case two weeks after the shooting. In that incident, police found the stolen C-Max on June 17 on North 34th Street with two people inside it. Officers arrested Smith and a 17-year-old passenger after a chase. A third person, Travon Little, 17, was also arrested later that night. Investigators questioned the passenger about the shooting. The passenger picked Smith and Little from a photo array and identified Smith as the gunman, the criminal complaint said. Little pleaded guilty Jan. 22 to two counts of harboring/aiding a felon, online court records show. He's scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 13. The volunteer court-monitoring group known as Enough is Enough - A Legacy for Erin filed a community impact statement calling for "swift and appropriate consequences" in the case. The group was created last summer in response to the death 14 months earlier of Erin Mogensen, the victim of a reckless driving crash. The group has made it a mission to observe hundreds of criminal cases filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court's felony division involving reckless driving and drivers who fled from police. Smith initially was charged with first-degree reckless homicide and operating a motor vehicle to flee or attempting to elude an officer. In a Jan. 21 report, Enough is Enough determined the judges that they observed handed out sentences were more lenient than prosecutors' recommendations about two-thirds of the time. "We must send a clear message that this behavior will not be tolerated and that consequences are inevitable and will be enforced," the group wrote in its Jan. 29 letter to Wagner. "The community is watching. The safety of Milwaukee County depends on holding individuals like Mr. Smith accountable and prioritizing the well-being of all residents." Milwaukee and its surrounding suburbs have for years wrestled to get the upper hand on reckless driving and speeding. Just a few weeks into the new year, 2025 seems like it may shape up to be no different. In all, 90 people died in crashes on Milwaukee County roads in 2024, compared with 91 road fatalities the year before, according to data provided Friday by the state Department of Transportation. So far, in 2025, three people had lost their lives in traffic fatalities as of Jan. 26, the most updated figure transportation officials provided on Friday. City traffic data shows Milwaukee police ended 2024 having issued 4,066 citations for speeding – a 36.7% decrease from 2023, when 6,518 tickets were handed out. So far, 461 such tickets have been written by police in 2025. Roughly a third of the citations this year were given to motorists who were stopped for driving more than 20 mph over the posted speed limit. Eighty-two county residents signed a petition that was included in Smith's court file, supporting Enough is Enough's call for harsher sentencing in reckless driving cases. Smith will have to serve 11 years on extended supervision when he is released from prison. In a sentencing memorandum, defense attorney Quron R.D. Payne asked for McCoy be sentenced to no more than seven years behind bars, and 13 years of extended supervision upon release. Smith was given 228 days of pre-trial credit that can be applied to his prison sentence. He has 20 days to appeal. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee teen gets 17 years in Cordell Smith's June 2 death
