‘Habitual cannabis user’ Jacob Webber would not give police a blood sample because he had a phobia of needles, Mold Crown Court heard.

Webber, aged 26, of Coast Road, Rhyl, admitted driving whilst disqualified, no insurance, possessing cannabis and refusing to give a blood sample, after he had been stopped by police.

They put him in breach of a suspended prison sentence imposed for assault and dangerous driving.

Prosecutor Maria Masselis said two police officers spotted Webber’s van driving towards Denbigh.

“When they pulled his vehicle over they noticed a strong smell of cannabis,” she told the court.

Inside the car they found a bag of cannabis.

At the police station Webber refused to give a blood sample saying it was a waste of time since he was an habitual user.

She said his 14 month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, had been imposed after he was convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm and dangerous driving.

Ms Masselis said on September 11, 2016, Webber had been driving his van “at speed” in Prestatyn in a residential area when he cut a corner and almost collided with two pedestrians. When one of them shouted at him, he stopped his van, got out and hit one of the pedestrians in the face.

Sion ap Mihangel, defending, said Webber had completed 300 hours of unpaid work as part of his suspended sentence and those working with him said he was not a “hopeless case” but someone they could work with to rehabilitate.

He said he had not given a blood sample because of a phobia of needles.

After being disqualified from driving he was taking his van to store at a friend’s home in Denbigh and was going to stay the night with the friend.

But when he got a call from his partner he took the risk and jumped in his van to drive home and that was when he had been stopped by police.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said the current driving offences on their own were unlikely to attract a custodial sentence and did not entail “bad driving.”

The aggravating feature was the breach of a suspended sentence, although he noted that Webber had completed 300 hours unpaid work.

He imposed a four month suspended prison sentence for driving whilst disqualified and lengthened the period of suspension on the 14 months sentence. “You will have two suspended sentences, of 18 months, hanging over you until January next year,” said the judge. He was also ordered to pay £355 costs.