Two young people who swapped seats after crashing a car after a night out of partying have both been banned from driving.
Driver Levi Owen, 21, and front seat passenger Danielle Cork, 22, were caught on dashcam footage getting out of the black Peugeot and changing seats.
Welshpool Magistrates' Court heard Owen had fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed on the A470 near Llandinam shortly after 1pm on November 3 last year after taking cocaine at a party the previous night.
Owen pleaded guilty to driving without a licence and insurance, and under the influence of cocaine and cannabis when he appeared in the dock on June 4. Cork admitted using her car without a valid MOT and insurance.
Prosecutor Helen Tench said after finding the pair in the back of an ambulance with injuries not thought to be serious, PC Jones spoke to Cork who confirmed that the Peugeot was her car and she had "simply lost control".
When a roadside drug swipe revealed cocaine was present in the vehicle and there was no valid MOT, Cork then told police she was not the driver when the crash happened. Owen, who had a provisional driver's licence, also denied he was the driver.
Mrs Tench added: "Dashcam footage from the vehicle behind clearly shows a male getting out of the driver’s side into the passenger side and a female getting out and appears to swap places.
"It seems a deliberate attempt to make it seem Cork was driving.
"Footage of the vehicle shows that it pulled in sharply to avoid a collision."
During police interview, both defendants accused each other of being the driver.
Owen's was found to be almost three times over the legal limit for driving with cocaine in his system and twice the legal limit for cannabis.
- Powys pub that was once named the best in Wales looking for a new landlord
- Fire crews scrambled after two sheds containing petrol went up in flames
- Three bedroom oak-built house in Powys goes on sale for £700,000
Robert Hanratty, acting for both defendants, said: "Poor decisions were made by two naïve young people who had a silly strategy to begin with but have taken to today to admit it."
He added that Cork had been feeling "particularly unwell" and that there had been "no questions asked" about the driver status by either of them.
"There was a clear admission who the driver was in her case," he said. "She came clean straight away.
"Mr Owen has not tried to shunt responsibility in this case."
Probation officer Joseph Long said Owen was in a "downward spiral" when he met and became friends with Cork, and had been partying and taking drugs the previous night.
"He tells me he is very remorseful over the offence," Mr Long said.
"It was his first and last ever time using cocaine because he doesn't feel the risks are worth it," he said. "Mr Owen has smoked cannabis since the age of 13."
Chair of the magistrates' bench Anthony Jackson told Owen: "Drugs are not the way to go physically and mentally. They will wear you down. You will look like you’re in your 40s when you’re in your 20s.
"It’s not big or clever or bright to be on drugs. Think about what you do before you do it. One life; don’t mess it up."
Owen, of Temple Street, Llandrindod Wells, was banned from driving for two years and handed an 18-month community order which will include 20 rehabilitation days and 80 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £85 court costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
Sentencing Cork, Mr Jackson said: "Be careful about who you hang out with and don’t let this be a slippery slope into more crime."
Cork, of Swallow Drive, Newtown, was given six penalty points on her driver's licence which activated a six-month driving ban.
She was ordered to pay a £120 fine , with a £48 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here