Newcastle Emlyn man jailed after Cardigan police chase crash left teens badly hurt
A young driver from Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, has been sentenced to three years in a young offenders’ institution after a late‑night police pursuit in Cardigan, Ceredigion, ended in a devastating crash.
Zac Thomas, now 19, was 18 at the time of the incident on 21 September 2024. He had been drinking vodka before getting behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Polo with four teenage passengers.
Police pursuit through Cardigan
Officers on patrol in Cardigan saw the Polo swerving across the road and signalled for it to stop. Instead, Thomas accelerated away, ignoring pleas from his passengers to slow down. He drove at speed along a single‑track lane before leaving the road and ploughing into a field, where the car collided with an earth bank and hedge.
The impact was catastrophic. One passenger was thrown forward with his head smashing through the windscreen, suffering life‑changing injuries including fractured vertebrae, facial trauma and long‑term speech and memory problems. Another passenger sustained a severe leg fracture requiring surgery and skin grafts, while a third needed 23 stitches to a deep head wound. A fourth passenger jumped from the moving car and was found disorientated in the field.
Arrest and charges
Thomas was arrested at the scene after officers smelled alcohol on his breath. A blood test showed he was almost twice the legal drink‑drive limit. He later pleaded guilty to three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and to driving with excess alcohol.
At Swansea Crown Court, Judge Catherine Richards told him his use of the car had been “akin to using a deadly weapon” and that his actions had caused “devastation” to his passengers’ lives.
Sentence
Thomas was sentenced to three years’ detention in a young offenders’ institution and disqualified from driving for five years and three months. He will serve up to half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.
The case was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which found Dyfed‑Powys Police officers had acted proportionately and in line with policy.
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