A MONMOUTH motorist who drove dangerously in the centre of Abergavenny and was three times over the drink drive limit has been jailed for 10 months at Newport Crown Court. Jamie Smith, 20, of St James' Street, had been convicted by Gwent Magistrates of driving with excess alcohol and dangerous driving and committed to the Crown Court for sentence. Judge David Morris told him: "You are a thorough danger to lawful road users and it is only by the grace of God no one was injured." Prosecuting, Jeremy Jenkins said at about 9.30am on September 18th Patricia Lee was returning from a walking holiday in Brecon and was driving through Abergavenny when Smith crashed into her. She ran into a nearby church and was comforted by the parish priest. Half an hour later Smith hit a van. A pedestrian had to jump over a wall to avoid being hit by him. Smith then hit a wall and an off duty policeman, Darren Grady, told him: "You could kill someone." To which Smith replied: "- -." He was obviously drunk, said Mr Jenkins, and there was an open can of lager in the footwell. To restrain him PC Grady punched him in the face. He was said to have 107 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, the legal limit being 35 milligrams and Smith later admitted having drunk 11 cans of lager at a party in Monmouth before travelling to Abergavenny. His counsel, Simon Goodman, said: "His recollection is pretty vague. "What is clear is his remorse and he makes no bones about how much he drunk. "He describes it as the stupidest thing he has ever done and he can't understand why he did it." The Judge ordered that Smith be disqualified from driving for two and a half years and that he should then take an extended test.
