A Pembrokeshire construction worker who drove his car containing four passengers when he was over the legal drink-drive limit has appeared before magistrates for sentence.

Jonathan Nicot was stopped by officers at around 2.50am on August 12 as he drove his Ford Fiesta along Well Hill in Pembroke.

“Police officers had seen a group of youths getting into the vehicle and drive off,” Crown Proseuctor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates earlier this week.

“The officers stopped the vehicle and the defendant was driving.”

Miss Vaughan said that three passengers were sitting in the back seat and an additional passenger was in the front.

A positive roadside breath test proved positive and Nicot, 21, was taken to the police custody suite for further intoximeter tests to be carried out. These showed that he had 63 mcg of alcohol in his system. The legal limit is 35.

Nicot, of Church View, Hodgeston, pleaded guilty to the charge of drink-driving. He was legally represented by Mr David Williams.

“This was an error of judgement, probably resulting in no small part to peer pressure,” he said.

Mr Williams went on to say that Nicot has been in full-time employed since he was 16.

“Part of his motivation was to save enough money to buy a car,” he said.

“He passed his driving test 11 months ago and saved enough to buy a car and pay for the insurance costs.”

Mr Williams said that as a result of his mandatory driving disqualification, Nicot’s job security ‘hangs in the balance’.

“He works with a construction company and currently drives to meet the company van that drives him to the site,” he said.

“But because Hodgeston is quite remote, the company has said that they won’t drive to pick him up. As a result, he has no method of getting to work and he is concerned that he will lose his job. Things are very much in the balance at the moment.”

Nicot was disqualified from driving for 17 months. He was fined £420 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £168 surcharge.