Aberystwyth: 'Madness' as car driven at people on promenade

Three men have been given suspended sentences following a "disgraceful" incident when a car was driven towards pedestrians on a seafront promenade.

A man was treated for non-life threatening injuries in the incident, which was caught on camera, in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion.

Judge Huw Rees branded it "disgraceful," while an eye-witness called it "madness".

The trio were ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

Richard Allen, 31, from Sheldon, Birmingham, received a 22-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, after admitting affray in October 2019, causing criminal damage to a police cell, and breaching bail.

Darren Dragoonis, 35, also from Birmingham, was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, after admitting affray.

And Jack Smith, 27, from Solihull, West Midlands, received a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to affray and being in possession of a Class B drug.

'Deserve to go to prison'

Judge Rees said: "You had been welcomed in Aberystwyth, a well-known tourist town and you had thrown the welcome back in their faces.

"Now, being fathers, how would you feel if your children were going out and about in Aberystwyth and saw something like this? It's an absolute disgrace."

He said they "richly deserve to go to prison", but there had been an "increased maturity" in the three men since the incident.

Swansea Crown Court was told that none of them had committed violent offences since the incident.