Newtown man's 20-month driving ban will not apply where he lives in Spain

Tye Dorsardo, 37, formerly of Rhos Barn, Lower Rhos, admitted to his child not wearing a seatbelt, failing to provide breath for analysis and driving without a full licence on Dolfor Road in Newtown.

Helen Tench, prosecuting, said that police stopped the defendant on July 4 at 11pm as he had no headlights on and was driving at over the 30mph speed limit, Welshpool Magistrates’ Court heard.

His five-year-old daughter was found asleep with no seatbelt on and without a car seat, Ms Tench told the court.

Magistrates heard that Dorsardo told police he had drunk a couple of glasses of wine. However, he failed to take a breath test five times when he was “clearly instructed”, Ms Tench said.

He was then arrested and taken to the station where he again refused to take the test properly, the court heard.

Bennett Wright Thistlethwaite, defending, said that Dorsardo was travelling to an ATM to get cash out.

He said that the vehicle fulfilled Spanish requirements and that he is going back to Spain this week. This time he is taking his mother with him, the court heard, after his father died shortly before Christmas last year.

Mr Wright Thistlethwaite said that the seatbelt had only come off his daughter’s shoulder and that it was still around her waist. However, Ms Tench said there was bodycam footage which showed the belt stowed away.

The chair of the bench, Lynette Kretchmer, said that the magistrates had discussed the case “very carefully”. She said that the defendant’s daughter being in the front seat was “terribly risky” and that there “could have been a terrible accident”.

Dorsardo was told to pay a £620 fine, £62 in victim surcharge and £85 in court costs. Magistrates also disqualified him from driving for 20 months, until April 3, 2022. However, this does not apply in Spain where he is travelling to on Friday.

“You must not drive to the airport. You must not drive to pick up your mother,” Ms Kretchmer said.