Man’s car flipped over roundabout into pub car park

A man who moved to the UK to study for a master’s degree has been jailed after his car flipped multiple times and crashed into a pub car park while people were drinking outside.

Rakesh Pamarthi, 27, of Nicholl Street, Swansea, appeared at Swansea Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without valid insurance, and driving without a licence.

The journey

The court heard that on June 4, 2025, Pamarthi had arranged to go out for food with friends in the Morriston area of Swansea. He drove his Ford Focus to collect a friend from his home, and prosecutor Abul Hussain told the court that Pamarthi had initially been driving in a “normal manner”.

However, as the pair neared the Swansea.com Stadium, Pamarthi began to accelerate. He then drove “very fast” along the A4067 in the north of the city.

The crash

As the Ford approached a roundabout, Pamarthi lost control. The vehicle flipped a number of times before colliding with a parked car in a nearby pub car park, coming to rest while people were outside the premises.

Pamarthi’s passenger sustained a small cut to the top of his head along with shoulder cuts, while Pamarthi himself suffered far more serious injuries – a compound fracture to his right arm.

Blood alcohol and licence issues

A blood sample taken from Pamarthi showed he had 76mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system – marginally below the 80mg drink-drive limit.

Police also discovered that Pamarthi held an international driving licence which was not valid in the UK, meaning his insurance was also invalidated.

Defence arguments

Sarah John, representing Pamarthi, told the court her client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and that his alcohol reading had been “narrowly under the limit”. She said Pamarthi “genuinely did not realise” his international licence was only valid for 12 months in the UK.

Ms John said Pamarthi was of clean character and was “extremely remorseful” for what had happened. The court heard he had been hospitalised for 15 days following the crash and required three operations on his arm, with a further surgery planned for June. The prognosis was that his arm would never fully recover.

Pamarthi moved to the UK in 2023 to study for a chemical engineering master’s degree and has no previous convictions. Ms John added: “He clearly has a bright future in front of him.”

Sentencing

Judge Huw Rees described Pamarthi’s offending as “inexplicable and incomprehensible”. He continued: “You are a perfectly intelligent and well-educated man and I have no doubt that you would not have been brought up by your parents to behave in this way.

“This is a very serious driving offence where you endangered not only your own life but your passengers and the public, including road users and the people outside the pub by whose experience beggars belief. They must’ve wondered what was going on.”

Pamarthi was sentenced to 10 months in prison and disqualified from driving for two years upon his release.