A DRIVER left his ex-girlfriend seriously injured by crashing after drinking four or five cans of Stella Artois lager and taking cocaine, a jury was told.

Johnathan Smith hit a stationary lorry at an industrial estate after picking his former partner up from a fitness class, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

The 38-year-old, from Cwmbran, has gone on trial accused of causing Jacqueline Walden serious injury by dangerous driving.

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Miss Walden became trapped in the defendant’s Ford Transit Tipper van following the crash, suffering a broken thigh and cuts to her body and forehead.

She spent 15 days being treated at Cardiff’s University of Wales Hospital before being transferred to Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital for a further week.

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Nuhu Gobir, prosecuting, said: “Jacqueline Walden had just finished an exercise class at Cwmbran Stadium on the evening of Tuesday, September 15, 2020.

“She made her way to a shop in Old Cwmbran from where she arranged for her ex-partner, the defendant, to pick her up.

“A short time later he arrived and she sat in the front passenger seat. “The defendant drove them to a local Aldi where she bought some groceries.

“Her next recollection is remembering being trapped within the vehicle with firefighters talking to her.

“She then remembers being in hospital being spoken to by police officers and told she had been involved in a road traffic collision.”

The lorry driver was awoken by an almighty bang 

The injuries Miss Walden sustained are “commensurate with grievous bodily harm”, the prosecution claims.

Mr Gobir said: “So how did this all happen? There are other witnesses that will be able assist as to what exactly happened.

“John Dixon is a Heavy Goods Vehicle driver. At about 5.30pm that afternoon, he parked his HGV, a Scania lorry, on the Springvale Industrial Estate close to the Cwmbran Van Hire site.

“His lorry was parked at the side of the road on the main road of the industrial estate and was in clear view of other vehicles using this road.

“Mr Dixon’s plan was to spend the night sleeping at this location in readiness to collect his delivery the following morning.

“He sent his partner a text message at 8.50pm that night to say goodnight as he was going to sleep.

“He laid down in the bed cabin area and went to sleep.

“The next thing he knew he was awoken by an almighty bang and his cabin rocking, followed by a male voice screaming, ‘Get me out, get me out, help me’.

“He could also hear the male’s voice shouting the name ‘Jacquie’.

“Mr Dixon jumped out of bed, got out of his lorry and saw the front of a blue van totally squashed against the rear of his trailer with part of the van under the trailer.

“There was a male in the driver’s seat of the van. This was the defendant and a woman in the front passenger seat, this was Jacqueline Walden.”

Mr Gobir told the jury when Smith was interviewed by police the day after the crash he told them he had drank four or five cans of Stella Artois lager before picking her up.

He added: “The defendant also admitted taking cocaine on a weekly basis but denied being addicted.

“He admitted taking cocaine, one to two grams, in the hours before the collision.

“He said by taking this drug he feels normal. He said he was a confident driver.”

Smith, of Waun Road, Cwmbran, represented by Hilary Roberts, denies causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Proceeding.