A traffic management employee has been ordered off the roads for 12 months after being caught driving with cannabis and the cocaine derivative Benzoylecgonine in his system.
Ashley Mardon, 34, was stopped by police just before 6pm on November 14 as he drove his Ford Focus through Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock. According to Crown Prosecutor Kelly Rivers, his manner of driving was ‘erratic’.
A roadside breath test was carried out which proved positive and Mardon was taken to the police station where he gave further blood tests. These confirmed that he had 3.6mcg of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol and 82mcg of benzoylecgonine in his blood. The specified legal limits are 2 and 50 respectively.
Mardon, of Clarence Street, Pembroke Dock, was represented in court by Mr Michael Kelleher who stressed that his client was unaware that he had the cocaine derivative in his system at the time of the offence,
“He has no idea how the Bzg got into his system,” he said. “He was taking medication for a knee injury, so whether it was related to that, he has no idea.”
Mr Kelleher added that Marden works at a traffic management depot in Carmarthen.
“But from there, he gets sent to work all over Wales,” he said. “As a result of the disqualification he’s going to have to rely on trains and public transport.”
Mr Kelleher went on to say that following the 45-minute testing procedure at the police station, officers drove Mardon back to his car and allowed him to drive away.
After considering the evidence, magistrates fined Ashley Mardon £120 and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £48 surcharge. He was disqualified from driving for 12 months.
