A father-of-four has been described by his solicitor as ‘a deeply troubled man’ after admitting his second drug-driving offence in five years.

As a result of his mandatory driving disqualification, Aaron Sutton will now struggle to maintain the fencing and groundwork business which he established at his home in Sageston three years ago.

“This is going to have a considerable impact on him and on his family,” his solicitor David Williams told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“Two or three years ago he set up his own businesses carrying out fencing work, groundwork and logging.

“Driving is integral to his business, and it goes hand in glove that work of this kind inevitably requires the rite to drive a motor vehicle on public roads.”

Aaron Sutton, 35, was stopped by police on the afternoon of February 3 as he drove his Ford Transit van on the A477 London Road in Pembroke Dock.

A roadside breath test proved positive and Sutton, of Anson Way, Sageston, was conveyed to a police custody suite to provide further blood tests for analysis.

These confirmed he had 2.3 mcg of cannabis in his system. The specified legal limit is 2.

Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan informed magistrates that Sutton was convicted of a similar drug-driving offence in 2019. As a result, he was subject to a mandatory three-year disqualification.

“He’s deeply distressed that a small amount of cannabis smoked the night before, or quite possibly the night before that, has left him in this position,” said solicitor David Williams.

“He was very emotional when I told him that the disqualification was going to be three years. He is today a deeply troubled man.”

Aaron Sutton was disqualified from driving for three years. He was fined £80 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £32 court surcharge.