A heavily pregnant woman had to be cut from her car after a Llandysul drink-driver slammed into her as he overtook on a bend.

As a result of the crash the woman suffered multiple fractures to her feet and ankle bones which required numerous operations. Her unborn baby was unharmed.

Yesterday (Tuesday, May 17), Rhodri Rees of Tremyfoel, Penrhiwllan, appeared before Swansea Crown Court for sentence after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The court heard that at around 7.20am on December 11, 2020, the victim, who was six months pregnant, was driving to work on the road between Llanelli and Cross Hands. As she approached a bend on a 40mph stretch, she was confronted by Rees, 37, driving his Citroen directly towards her on the wrong side of the road. Both cars collided head-on and both drivers became trapped inside their vehicles.

They were cut out from the wreckage by emergency responders and the victim was conveyed to Glangwili for scans on her unborn child.

In a roadside police interview, Rees claimed that the previous night he had drunk 13 cans of Stella Artois before going to bed at midnight.

But in a subsequent interview the following day, he claimed to have drunk 'eight or nine cans of Fosters’ before going to bed at 2am and then getting up at 6.45am to drive. A blood sample was taken five and a half hours after the crash and a blood alcohol expert calculated that at the time of the incident, Rees would have had between 113mg and 129 mg of alcohol in his blood. The legal limit is 80.

As a result of the crash, the woman's mobility has been significantly affected and she is unable to walk without a frame. She also suffers from flashbacks, and faces the prospect of further surgery along with long-term physiotherapy.

Commenting on the case, Judge Geraint Walters said it was a miracle that nobody had died.

Rees, a father of two, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and disqualified from driving for three years with the ban extended by an extra nine months to account for the length of time he will be behind bars. He must pass an extended test before he can get his licence back.