Crashing into a hedge while committing his seventh driving while disqualified offence led to a prison sentence for a Haverfordwest man.

Stephen Jonathan, of Merlins Terrace, appeared at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Tuesday, October 1, and pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and without third-party insurance.

Prosecutor Abul Hussain said police received reports of an abandoned car near Broad Haven on the morning of September 10.

Officers found Jonathan’s Peugeot 207 had collided with a hedge before being left on Trafalgar Terrace.

Mr Hussain said: “Enquires showed Stephen Jonathan was the registered keeper and he was disqualified from driving.”

Jonathan, 43, admitted owning the car and driving it the previous evening.

The court heard he had been banned from driving for 14 months, following a drink-drive conviction earlier in the year.

Katy Hanson, defending, said Jonathan, who had been given the car to repair and sell, had been testing it on the evening in question, and had planned to park it somewhere for sale.

“There was minimal damage to the vehicle. He realises it was wrong and apologises to the court for that.”

Miss Hanson added that Jonathan, who previously worked as a plumber, was in ‘significant financial difficulty’ and was hoping to move into a property after a period of being homeless.

The court heard that he was desperate to get his life back on track.

Magistrates jailed Jonathan for 16 weeks and banned him from driving for 56 months.

He was ordered to pay £207 in costs and a surcharge, and six penalty points were added to his licence.

The chairman of the bench said: “This offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.

“You had driven within a short period since being disqualified, you were involved in a collision and this is the seventh time you have been convicted of driving while disqualified.”