A Knighton man who crashed his car while over the drink drive limit, has been banned from the road

Ryan Mellings admitted drink driving in a Mini Cooper on the B4355 near Knighton on April 6, when he appeared in Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The 21 year-old of Noble Court was not at the scene when police arrived but witnesses confirmed he was driving and the vehicle was registered to him.

Prosecuting, Ms Skye Connors said police received a call from a Relay Centre on April 6 to say a collision had occurred on an Iphone crash detection system. Officers were sent to the crash site and they came across the Mini Cooper on the opposite side of the carriageway with significant damage particularly to the front near side.

The vehicle was registered to Mellings and although he was not present, witnesses confirmed he had been driving and he was local to the area.

When police caught up with him, Mellings said he had drunk two Cruzcampos. He said: “I admit it, I am going to lose my licence over this.”

At the police station samples showed he had 51 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the limit being 35 micrograms.

The court was told he has no previous convictions.

Mitigating, Ms Michelle Thomas said Melings is 21 and lives with his parents and his long term girlfriend.

She said he is an electrician having served an apprenticeship.

Ms Thomas said at the time of the incident Mellings was struggling with his mental health and got into his vehicle to see his girlfriend. She said he did not think he was over the drink drive limit and thought he had left enough time between drinking and driving – but he had not.

She said he has been referred to mental health services and he cares for his mother, who also has mental health difficulties and his father, who has liver failure and Crohns Disease.

“He has not been before the court before and he is ashamed and takes personal responsibility for what he did on that day. Thankfully, no other person was hurt in the accident,” Ms Thomas said.

Magistrates banned him from driving for 14 months but offered him the chance to attend the drink drive rehabilitation course.

He will have to pay a £403 fine, £85 costs and a £161 victim surcharge.