A TREGARON man with cocaine in his system was described as “a menace to society” after he crashed his car when he was chased by police, a court heard.

Jake Stewart, 27, sped away from police because he had cocaine and a knife in his car, but was arrested after officers came around a corner to find he’d ploughed into a wall after clipping another vehicle.

He pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, possession of a knife and two charges of driving with high levels of cocaine in his system.

Stewart was given a six-week suspended prison sentence, but was told that he had only narrowly escaped an immediate prison sentence.

Presiding magistrate Caroline Whitehead said: “You are a menace to society. Driving around a town like Tregaron with your blood full of cocaine and being involved in a police chase which ended in what was very nearly a serious accident is not on.”

Prosecutor Kevin Challinor said police officers in an unmarked car saw Stewart driving through Tregaron at around 5.50pm on 8 September, but that when Stewart saw the car he turned around drove away at high speed.

While the police lost the car for a while, when they came around a corner they saw Stewart, of Pantglas, had crashed his car after hitting a Land Rover.

Police found a knife with a three-inch blade in the car as well as just over a gram of cocaine.

Stewart failed a drug test and blood tests showed he had high levels of cocaine and benzoylecgonine, a compound found in cocaine, in his system.

During an interview with police Stewart said he had the knife purely to cut his cocaine and had not intended to use it for any other reason.

Defence solicitor Alan Lewis said Stewart has had issues with cocaine since 2015 which had led to a number of offences, but said he was now “back on track”.

Mr Lewis said Stewart’s family were supporting him and that he is now getting help for his drug issues after realising that he needed to do something about it.

He said Stewart, who Mr Lewis described as “polite, courteous and hard-working”, had driven away as he hadn’t wanted the police to find the cocaine he had in the car.

Mr Lewis added: “He’s someone who is trying to deal with his issues.”

Magistrates heard that guidelines for drug driving were still being drawn up and Mr Lewis urged them to not to impose a lengthy ban as it would affect Stewart’s chances of being able to work.

Stewart was given a six-week suspended sentence for each of the drug-driving charges and the possession of a knife charge, as well as a four-week suspended sentence for possession of cocaine. They will run concurrently, but were suspended for 12 months.

He was also banned from driving for 18 months and will have to complete 60 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, as well as pay costs totalling £200.