Yahoo News Serial dangerous driver 'screamed' around town dodging traffic in middle of the day
A man with an "horrendous" record for driving raced through busy streets and overtook an off-duty police officer at 60mph, a court has heard. Dafydd Williams then crashed into a van before jumping out and running off – leaving his empty car rolling towards shops.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that just a year before the incident Williams hijacked a police car and drove at speeds in excess of 110mph in 30mph zones then caused a multi-vehicle crash as he tried to perform a high-speed undertaking manoeuvre in a bus stop. Locking up the 20-year-old defendant a judge said there was little prospect of him complying with any community-based sentence.
William Bebb, prosecuting, said at lunchtime on June 4 this year police received a number of reports of a red Renault Clio car being driven dangerously in the Bedwas area with one witness describing how the Clio had "screamed" past him at speed and another describing how the car was overtaking vehicles "recklessly". The driving was also witnessed by an off-duty policewoman who was driving near Bedwas RFC when the Renault overtook her at a speed estimated at between 50mph and 60mph and raced off down the road swerving in and out of traffic and overtaking a line of three cars and a lorry in the face of oncoming vehicles.
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The court heard that a short time later the Clio clipped the back of a Ford Transit van near the Ship Deck chip shop in Trethomas causing the van to rotate about 15 degrees in the road. The Clio continued to Navigation Street where the driver and passenger jumped out and ran away leaving the now-empty Clio rolling towards the nearby shops. The court heard the passenger in the Transit which had just been hit recognised the fleeing driver as Williams and ran after him. The van man caught the defendant and took him back to the crash scene.
Police were called and Williams was arrested. A subsequent breath test showed he had 20mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, which was below the legal limit of 35mg. The defendant answered "no comment" to all questions asked in interview. The court heard both the Transit and the Clio suffered significant damage in the crash and have been written off. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter here.
Dafydd Williams, of Islwyn Road, Wattsville, Crosskeys, Caerphilly county, had previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, and driving with no insurance when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has six previous convictions for 28 offences including possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, being drunk and disorderly, making threats to kill, possession of an offensive weapon, racially-aggravated assault, racially-aggravated criminal damage, taking a police car without authority, damaging property, driving while disqualified, driving while unfit through drink, and two counts of dangerous driving. One of the convictions for dangerous driving is from 2023 and involved the defendant taking a police Skoda Superb car and racing off at speeds touching 113mph. During the incident he used a bus stop layby to try to perform an undertaking manoeuvre but crashed into the back of a car at 64mph causing it to be shunted across the carriageway and into a head-on crash with another vehicle. He was eventually caught by a police dog after abandoning the police car in a field and making off on foot.
John Ryan, for Williams, said the defendant was born and raised in the the traveller community and experienced the loss of his father at an early age. He said in the traveller community mental health difficulties were not discussed and it wasn't until he reached his teens that the defendant began to recognise he was suffering with anxiety. The barrister said at the age of 16 Williams tried alcohol and found it could block out many of he feelings he had, adding: "He found alcohol was a route to happiness – or at least a route out of the misery he felt when he was sober."
Recorder David Payne said the defendant had an "horrendous driving record" and had amassed three convictions for dangerous driving in just three years. He said there was little prospect of Williams complying with any community-based sentence. With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Williams was sentenced to 14 months detention in a young offender institution. He will serve up to half that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He was also disqualified from driving for five years with the ban extended by an extra seven months to account for the time he will be behind bars.
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