A POWYS woman faces the prospect of losing two jobs in a year due to two incidents that landed her in court.

Sammy-Jo Ann Harris was dismissed from her previous job as a carer after assaulting a man in a pub last July. After the incident she then went to sit in her car but was additionally charged with being in charge of a vehicle while drunk.

Harris, 25, had originally denied the drunk in charge offence but changed her plea in January. She had pleaded guilty to the assault charge against Tobias Grindey, which took place in a pub near her home in Saint Harmon, outside Rhayader, on July 3, 2021, on the first occasion.

Llandrindod Wells Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday refused to accept an exceptional hardship reason put forward by Harris – meaning she was disqualified from driving; she said this will likely lead to her losing her new job working in a local hotel.

Prosecutor Kevin Challinor said a police officer found Harris sitting in a blue Seat Leon while responding to an incident in Pant-y-dwr, near Saint Harmon.

“It was in the early hours of July 3, the officer was on his way to an assault,” said Mr Challinor.

“He saw a blue Seat Leon parked at the side of the road, with its lights on and a single female occupant sat in the passenger seat.

“He pulled alongside and spoke to a lady in the passenger seat. He felt heat coming from inside and the engine was warm. She said she’d walked from the pub to the car, she seemed to be under the influence and her speech was slurred.”

A roadside breath test was positive and Harris was arrested. She provided a reading of 115 micrograms – more than three times the legal limit.

Mr Challinor said the assault had taken place at the pub late at night the previous evening, July 2. “The complainant is Tobias Grindey who said he had been present with his partner, and the defendant and her partner were also there,” said Mr Challinor.

“He was told of an incident involving the defendant’s partner and his partner, which is when a scuffle takes place. The complainant went to pick up his partner and move her away, he was trying to leave the premises when he felt a blow to the side of his head from behind, then he was struck to the face and head by the defendant.”

Robert Hanratty, acting for Harris, of Cwmdifwg, St Harmon, said his client had been the subject of a disciplinary hearing the day after this incident. “The company she worked for dispensed with her services,” said Mr Hanratty.

“She has found other work but isn’t going to be able to maintain that with points added to her licence.”

Giving evidence to support her exceptional hardship argument, Harris said she had been a specialist carer but after being dismissed she was now working in the hospitality sector.

She said there was no public transport in the area and that the cost of taxis was prohibitive. She said her mother struggles with mobility and relies on Harris to take her to medical and swimming appointments. She said she also helps out with a homeless charity in Builth Wells.

Mr Hanratty described the offence as “totally out of character” and said Harris was desperate to keep her licence. “She lives in the back of beyond,” he said.

Of the assault, Mr Hanratty added: “The complainant had had a scrap with her former friend, the defendant was trying to prevent the incident escalating, then she finds herself on the receiving end.

“She was being held aggressively, she felt aggrieved and agitated, she did take two cheap shots at the young man concerned. It was two blows but she is the only one who stands to face consequences.

“She went to sit in her car and finds herself on the end of a second charge. After viewing CCTV it seems harsh that police charged her and no-one else, which led to the termination of her employment.

“She is now working at the Elan Hotel but will likely lose that employment as she can’t get there without transport. A letter from her employers says they don’t see her being able to continue if she loses her licence.”

Harris was ordered to pay a total financial penalty of £1,021. This includes a £350 fine for being drunk in charge of the vehicle and a £260 fine for the assault. Additionally, she must pay Mr Grindey £150 compensation and also £200 court costs and a £61 surcharge.

She had 10 points put on her licence, which added to the three already on there make her a totter. Magistrates banned her for six months.