Corwen woman sentenced after serious collision near Dolgellau

A woman who was seriously injured following a road traffic collision near Dolgellau earlier this year has been sentenced.

Claire Williams, 41-years-old of Clawdd Ponciau in Corwen appeared before Caernarfon Court on Wednesday (September 25) after pleading guilty to drink and drug driving.

The collision took place on the A494 Rhydymain shortly before 2am on Saturday 13 April and involved a black coloured Ford Focus, which was being driven by Williams.

She was initially taken to Wrexham Maelor Hospital but was later transferred to hospital in Stoke due to the nature of her injuries. She remained in hospital until May.

Following the results of toxicology tests, Williams was interviewed where she admitted to being the driver of the vehicle at the time of the collision. Her tests results showed that she was over the prescribed limit of alcohol and that she had consumed cocaine prior to the collision.

North Wales Police say she was charged with driving whilst under the influence of drink and drugs and was sentenced to:

• A 12-month community order
• 120 days Alcohol Abstinence and Monitoring Requirement
• 20 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement
• 32-month Disqualification
• Ordered to pay £85 in costs

Investigating Officer PC Gareth Rogers of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at North Wales Police said: “Driving whilst under the influence of drink and drugs can have serious consequences.

“Claire Williams is lucky that she wasn’t fatally injured – however she was extremely lucky that she did not harm an innocent motorist during the early hours of that morning.

“It is only right that she admitted the offence by pleading guilty and has been dealt with accordingly by the court. Hopefully she will learn from her completely reckless actions.

“I would ask that as drivers, we all reflect on how we use our vehicles on the road.

“Choosing to drive when impaired by alcohol and drugs is dangerous and unacceptable and can cause unimaginable harm.

“We are committed to making the roads safer and have a robust strategy around enforcing the ‘Fatal 5’ offences which includes drink and drug driving.”

If you have information about an individual(s) you know who drive whilst under the influence you can report is to us via our website or by calling 101. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111. In an emergency always dial 999.