Dangerous Emsworth van driver who was so drunk 'he could barely stand' dodges jail after smashing into motorcyclist on horror A32 crash

Reckless Stephen Jones was almost four times the legal drink-drive limit when he got into his white van following an afternoon boozing alone in a pub.

In footage a judge said ‘would make anybody’s heart stop’, the 58-year-old, of Mill Road, Emsworth, was filmed veering wildly from side to side as he drove north on the A32 Droxford Road in Wickham on April 30.

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In the shocking two-minute recording, played out at Portsmouth Crown Court, horrified road users can be seen desperately dodging out of Jones’s way as he careers towards them.

Jones, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, stared at the floor as the video showed he clipped two cars before then smashing into Scott Lemon as he rode his motorbike, leaving the self-employed dad-of-two with serious injuries.

Prosecutor Oliver Kelham described the incident to the court.

‘The van was weaving from side to side and crossing the opposite carriageway,’ he said.

‘After a near-miss with several vehicles, the driver ended up colliding with a motorcycle on the opposite side of the carriageway.

‘The motorcyclist, Mr Scott Lemon, was knocked off and the van stopped.’

Mr Kelham told the court how a drunken Jones was seen stumbling and could barely stand when police arrived.

‘The defendant was noted to be slurring his words and smelt of alcohol,’ he said. ‘He staggered and at fell over as he was being taken back to the police vehicle. He needed to lean against the police vehicle throughout in order to stay upright.’

Tests revealed the 58-year-old had 120 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - almost four times the limit.

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The crash left Mr Lemon with extensive injuries to his hands, arms, hip and neck.

In a statement read by Mr Kelham, Mr Lemon said he was still walking on crutches more than two months on from the crash.

He said: ‘Sometimes the pain from my shoulder is so immense that I could pass out.

‘I’m normally a very positive person and active person but this incident has left me struggling to cope. I feel like I have been robbed of my normal life.

‘I’m really worried about my family because I’m self-employed and I cannot work.

‘These worries are compounded by the pain I’m in and that I cannot do activities with my children.

‘When I think about the incident I get really angry that a selfish individual did this to me.’

Mark Kessler, defending, said his client had pleaded guilty to a count of dangerous driving and driving while under the influence of alcohol.

He said: ‘He accepts responsibility for what he has done and is sincerely remorseful and sorry for what has happened.

‘He has become socially isolated and without even really thinking about it he has descended into what amounted to a chronic alcohol problem.’

Sentencing, Judge David Melville QC said the footage was an ‘appalling film to watch’.

He added: ‘The driving which you displayed was quite extraordinary. The final event with the motorbike rider being struck and coming off his bike would cause anybody’s heart to stop.’

However, the judge refused to send Jones to prison, instead imposing a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years.

‘It seems to me that despite this being an awful incident, to send you to prison for it is something that I can just about avoid,’ he added.

Speaking to The News after appearing at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court last month, a remorseful Jones said: ‘I’m so sorry, I really am.’

Jones was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and was disqualified from driving for two years, after which he will have to undergo a test to get his licence.