A Pembrokeshire drink-driver careered past pedestrians along a public footpath that skirts the Ocean Lab café and playground in The Parrog, Goodwick, before colliding with a bus shelter, a court has heard.

This afternoon (Wednesday) Melissa Jenkins Johansen of Trecwn appeared before Swansea Crown Court for sentence.

She was told by Judge Huw Rees that the disregard she had shown towards the public on the afternoon of February 15 ‘beggared belief’.

“Drink has been your nemesis,” he said before passing sentence.

“You’re selfish not just to take alcohol in large measures, but your ignorance of the consequences means that somebody, maybe even a child, could have been seriously injured, maimed or killed.”

At around midday on February 15, Johansen was seen to drive her white Honda Civic into the public car park at the Ocean Lab Café, Goodwick.

She got out, put a bottle of wine into her coat pocket and walked away.

Soon after she returned to her car and, according to witnesses, was clearly under the influence of alcohol.

She struggled to get back into the driving seat and then made four attempts to drive out of the car park.

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“Her vehicle was following the footpath that leads around the café and children’s play area,” said barrister Hannah George for the Crown.

“She didn’t have control.”

Despite her drunkenness, Johansen drove past members of the public, including children. She collided with a grass verge and some trees and then attempted to drive out onto the carriageway.

When her attempts to reach the road failed, she continued along the narrow footpath towards the bus shelter which she hit, damaging both her vehicle and the bus shelter’s wall.

Shen then proceeded back along the pavement towards the Ocean Lab café.

“Staff began shouting at the public which included adults and children to move out of the way because the defendant didn’t have regard to anyone or anything that was around her,” continued Ms George.

Johansen then reached the main Parrog carriageway and, driving in the middle of the road, continued to the Sea View Hotel.

She stopped in the car park for a few minutes before driving back, on the wrong side of the road, to the Tesco car park. After entering the store, Johansen then drove home to Trecwn.

She was followed by police officers.

“They saw her car parked badly outside with substantial damage to the nearside front bumper and the doorhandles,” continued Ms George.

“When police entered her property they were hit with an overwhelming smell of alcohol. She asked them what proof they had that she had been driving and suggested that the car had been driven by her dog.”

Johansen was taken to a police custody suite where she refused to give specimens of both breath and blood.

Johansen was disqualified from driving just three months prior to this incident for a similar offence of driving, whilst almost four times over the legal limit.

This week she pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving, failing to provide a breath specimen, driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance.

Johansen was represented in court by Mr Dean Pulling who said his despite her intelligence and professional career in food science his client is a woman ‘with lots of mental health issues’ who has been clinically pronounced as having an ‘emotionally unstable personality’.

Imposing sentence, Judge Huw Rees questioned how Johansen would have responded if her driving had resulted in the injury or death of a victim.

“If that had happened, perhaps your reaction would have been more realistic and not misdirected by drink,” he said.

Johansen was sentenced to 12 months in custody suspended for 18 months.

She must carry out a rehabilitation activity requirement which will be overseen by Judge Huw Rees on a montly basis as well as 150 hours of unpaid work.

She must adhere to a 120-day Alcohol Abstinence Monitoring Programme and was disqualified from driving for three years.