A disqualified driver was abusive to police and threatened to punch the officer who spotted him behind the wheel.

Kieran Jeffrey Coughlin, of Honeysuckle Close, Rassau, Ebbw Vale, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and without third-party insurance when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday, September 10.

Vaughan Pritchard-Jones, prosecuting, said police were conducting routine checks on vehicles on the A478 at Pentlepoir at 5.30pm on August 25, when they noticed Coughlin driving a Suzuki Swift which was only insured for one woman to drive.

The officer briefly lost sight of Coughlin, 23, after he turned into a Kilgetty housing estate, but found him walking towards them with the car’s registered owner and his brother.

Mr Pritchard-Jones said: “The defendant became very abusive and aggressive. He denied being the driver, saying there was no proof.”

Coughlin swore at the officer and called him ‘scum’ and threatened to ‘punch his face in’. Further assistance was called for, but Coughlin continued to be abusive towards the officers.

Checks revealed Coughlin was disqualified from driving from March until September 6.

Mark Layton, defending, said Coughlin was unaware he had been disqualified in his absence, as he had moved addresses.

“He said if he had known he was disqualified he would never have got behind the wheel of a car. There were no concerns about the manner of his driving.”

Magistrates banned Coughlin from driving for six months and imposed a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work.

He was ordered to pay £175 in costs and a surcharge.