Drink driver went wrong way with 3 kids in van
A MAN was caught drink-driving the wrong way down an M4 slip road at 2am with three children in his van.
George Stephenson, 27, was driving a Transit van in south Wales with his ex-partner in the van while he was one and a half times over the drinkdriving limit – with three children also in the vehicle.
He had travelled from the Midlands to south Wales, before having an argument with his ex-partner.
During the incident, the children’s mother decided to leave the vehicle – in a “state of undress” – and the defendant turned his van back around to collect her by driving the wrong way down the slip road.
The incident happened in the early hours of August 17 when Stephenson was travelling on the M4 slip road near Bridgend.
On Monday at Cardiff Crown Court, Stephenson pleaded guilty to driving dangerously and driving while over the legal limit of alcohol.
Prosecutor Gareth James said: “It was just before 2am in the morning.
“The defendant had been seen driving the wrong way on the slip road near the McArthurGlen junction.
“He was driving the wrong way on the slip road. He was accompanied by a female who we understand to be the mother of the three children. In the vehicle there were three children.”
The court was told the woman had one child next to her, one on her lap and another was in a car seat “dangling in front of her and not restrained”.
Stephenson was found to have 55 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The limit is 35 micrograms.
Mr James said: “He has fully admitted that he was driving and was drinking at the time. He was driving under the influence of alcohol – he had been drinking through the day. It was the early hours of the morning.
“The road would have been quieter than usual but someone would have seen it as they contacted the police.”
The court heard that in 2009, Stephenson was disqualified from driving for 17 months for driving while being over the limit.
He was also disqualified in 2013 for refusing to provide a sample.
The offence relating to August 17 this year is his third conviction.
Adam Sharp, defending, said the circumstances surrounding the case were “particularly peculiar”.
Mr Sharp said: “The children’s mother decided to leave the vehicle and this is when he drove the vehicle the wrong way having realised the female was in a state of undress.
“He decided to turn the vehicle back around to collect her from the junction on the M4.”
The court was told Stephenson is the main carer for the three children.
Mr Sharp described him as a “man who has the responsibility of a father” and pointed out that he has always followed what was asked of him by the courts throughout his previous convictions.
He said Stephenson, of Wivelden Avenue, Worcestershire, is “terribly ashamed of his actions.”
On Monday, Stephenson received a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
He was also disqualified from driving for three years and must complete a rehabilitation programme.