Learner driver caught over drug drive limit placed on community order

Piotr Marek Rapcewicz was more three and a half times the drug drive limit, his eyes were jaundice and his tongue was sticky white when he was stopped at Crossgates.

The 40 year-old of Pennnington Road, Leigh had no-one supervising him or L plates on his blue Ford Fiesta and his insurance was valid.

He admitted drug driving on the A483 at Crossgates, driving otherwise in accordance with a licence and with no insurance all on July 19 2024, when he appeared at Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Prosecuting, Ms Skye Connors said Rapcewicz was the only person in the vehicle and because of his jaundice eyes and white sticky tongue police believed he had taken drugs.

At Newtown Police Station tests showed he had 7 micrograms of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in his blood, the limit being 2 micrograms.

Rapcewicz has no previous convictions.

Representing himself, he said he was a provisional licence holder and he was going to see his friends.

He said he should not have been driving and he is unemployed at the moment and suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety and depression after his friend died on the building site they worked at. He said he takes cannabis to help.

Magistrates asked for a pre-sentence report and Probation Officer Ms Donna Davies said Rapcewicz was going to see a friend for some advice about his mental health.

She said he was smoking a joint while driving - it was the first he had that day. He said he was experiencing anxiety and he did not believe the cannabis had impacted on his driving skills.

Ms Davies said Rapcewicz was previously a builder but he stopped after his friend died five years ago.

“He came to England from Poland in 2005 and his married with two children. He started using cannabis about three years ago as he felt anti-depressants were not working and he smokes a joint a day to help with his sleep,” Ms Davies said, as she recommended a community order.

Magistrates placed Rapcewicz on a community order for 12 months with two requirements of 20 rehabilitation activity days and 100 hours of unpaid work. He was banned from driving for 18 months and will have to pay £85 costs and a £114 surcharge.