Pentre man describes his offence as a ‘slip-up’ after months of sobriety
A MOTORIST from Pentre was left to make his own way home from court after receiving a year-long disqualification for driving under the influence of cannabis.
During sentencing, Cardiff magistrate Norman Craggs asked Martin Griffiths if he had driven to court.
“You cannot drive home today and there will be no driving so you will have to find a friend,” Mr Craggs told the defendant.
Griffiths, 36, of Dans Y Graig Road was pulled over for drug-driving on Litchard Hill in October 2022 and found to be 2.2mg over the legal cannabis limit. He pleaded guilty to the charge.
He told the court the incident was a brief one-off “moment” and a “slip-up” which he regrets.
“The reason why I had cannabis in my system is because two years ago my ex left me and stopped me seeing my daughter,” said Griffiths.
Prior to the arrest he had been sober from cannabis for 14-months and had no previous convictions or cautions of that type.
Alongside the ban, Griffiths was ordered to pay a total of £393 — a £220 fine, £85 court costs and £88 victim surcharge.
Griffiths was unsure about how much he could pay monthly as the ban meant he was now at risk of losing his job.
