‘I’ll never do the same thing again,’ Daniel Williams told a court
A TAXI driver has been given a 17-month driving ban after he was caught drink-driving – and has lost his livelihood as a result.
Daniel Williams, 36, was caught drink-driving on Commercial Street, Maesteg – the street where he lives – after security staff of a nearby pub tipped off police, Cardiff Magistrates Court heard.
By the time the police officers caught up with Williams, he had already pulled into a layby, the court was told.
Officers noticed Williams’ slurred words and intoxicated smell before he admitted that he had been drinking prior to driving, said prosecutor Sarah Cole.
He was found to be almost twice the legal drink-drive limit, with 72 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes. Williams was arrested at 2.58am on January 28 this year.
Williams, who pleaded guilty to a single drink-drive charge, told the court he was “sincerely sorry” and that he “bitterly regrets his actions”.
“I am just glad that I did not cause an accident and came to my senses by stopping the car,” he added.
Although off duty at the time of the incident, the driving ban means that Williams’ job as a taxi-driver was now at risk.
“My reckless behaviour means I have now lost my livelihood and my ability to pay for my children,” Williams told the court. “I have no intention of doing the same thing ever again.”
Magistrate Patricia Blackwell told Williams: “It is really important that you don’t get behind that wheel.”
Alongside the ban, Williams was ordered to pay a total of £253 – a £120 fine, £85 court costs and £48 surcharge.
