Drink-driver pleads guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving

A drink-driver who was involved in a crash with a mobility scooter has pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, drink driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.

At around 11.20pm on Sunday, Leighton Panayiotou, aged 35, of Maes yr Haf, Llanelli, crashed his Mazda 6 into a mobility scooter in Caswell Street.

A woman on the scooter was thrown from the vehicle and suffered serious injuries. She remains in hospital in a stable condition.

However, Panayiotou then left the scene, before he was found by police at Furnace Ponds at around 2am on Monday, 6 December.

When breathalysed, he provided a sample of 65 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, well above the legal limit of 35.

At Llanelli Magistrates Court yesterday Panayiotou pleaded guilty to drink-driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.

He will next appear at Llanelli Magistrates Court on Friday, 10 December.

“This was a serious collision, which resulted in the victim suffering nasty injuries,” said Roads Policing Unit Inspector Andy Williams.

“This just shows the dangers of driving under the influence, and it could have been so much worse.

“Do not do it, this could have ended with a family grieving the loss of a loved one.

“It has ended in a conviction for drink driving, as well as other serious driving offences, so he will now lose his licence and he could spend Christmas behind bars because of his own recklessness and disregard for the law.”

It comes after 24 people were arrested on suspicion of drink or drug-driving in the first week since the Christmas Anti-Drink and Drug Campaign launch on December 1.

Of the 24 arrested in the past week, 14 have already been charged, with others bailed or released under investigation.

Inspector Williams added: “It is frustrating that on the week we launched our Christmas anti-drink and drug driving campaign, we have arrested so many people.

“Drink or drug driving at any time of the year is not acceptable.

“If you believe someone is drink-driving, please report them to us so we can get them off the road before someone is seriously hurt or killed.”