Banned driver’s wrong-way A48 dash avoided crash by ‘chance’

A disqualified driver who sped the wrong way down the A48 motorway towards Cardiff only avoided causing a serious crash by “sheer chance”, a court has heard.

Ojay James, 35, of no fixed abode, was spotted by police in the Caerphilly area in the early hours of March 2, driving a Toyota Hilux at 80mph in a 40mph limit and 70mph in a 30mph limit.

After initially giving officers the slip, the vehicle was later spotted driving the wrong way down the A48 eastbound carriageway at high speed, passing “at least four oncoming vehicles”.

Judge Lucy Crowther told Cardiff Crown Court: “They must’ve been absolutely terrified seeing a vehicle being driven at those speeds coming in the wrong direction.”

Police eventually cut James off at the top of the Pontprennau junction slip road. Officers believed he was drunk as he was slurring his words, but James refused to provide a blood sample for analysis at Cardiff Bay Police Station.

James pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, failing to provide a specimen when required, and driving without insurance. The court heard he has 17 previous convictions for 31 offences, including similar matters in 2023.

Harriet Ealden, defending, said: “I cannot excuse his actions on the day in question.” She told the court James, formerly of Machen, “suffers greatly with substance misuse” and had sought help from the Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service.

Ms Ealden added: “He recognises that at 35 years of age, he’s not getting any younger and he recognises he needs to start making positive changes in his life.”

Judge Crowther told James: “It’s sheer chance you didn’t get involved in a catastrophic incident. You shouldn’t have been driving at all. You were disqualified from driving at the time.”

James was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment and banned from driving for two years and five months. He must pass an extended re-test to regain his licence.