A MAN from Flint had been drinking at home before he decided to take his partner’s car to the pub to drink some more and then crashed it on the way.

Craig Adam Pemberton, 32, of Prince of Wales Avenue, told a court he had been watching the football at home on December 21, when a couple of intended drinks turned to eight, and how after that, he can’t quite remember why he decided to take the Vauxhall Combo van to drive to an unnamed pub.

It was just after midnight when Pemberton, who has an expired provisional license only, then decided to drive home, but he collided with a parked car on Ffordd Glyndwr.

Rhian Jackson, prosecuting, told Mold Magistrates Court how the impact of the collision caused that car to shunt into three others, causing an unknown amount of damage to them all.

He went home, where he was confronted by his partner, but when police turned up at the address he denied he had been driving the vehicle.

He was taken to Wrexham Maelor Hospital for his injuries to be assessed and shortly before 5am, was taken to police custody, where he told police he had walked to and from the pub.

However, Ms Jackson explained how Pemberton had contacted police on December 27 and admitted that it had been driving and how he had taken the car to the pub after drinking at home.

He told them he couldn’t explain why he did what he did and told them he had panicked after crashing and limped home.

Michael Pugh, defending, said his client had accepted that he panicked on the night and said how his lack of recollection of why he did what he did was not a deliberate attempt to be unhelpful.

Pemberton was banned from driving for 5 years and sentenced to serve 12 weeks for each offence; failing to provide a specimen, causing damage to a vehicle taken without consent, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and driving without a license and insurance. Each sentence will run concurrently and they were suspended for a period of 12 months.

The judge explained how compensation could not be paid in this instance.