A GROOM spent his wedding night in a police cell after being arrested for drink driving.

Jake Crank, of Smith Drive, Orford, denied he was driving his Renault Traffic van at Bodafon Farm, Llandudno, early on November 4, and yesterday, Thursday, was cleared in court.

The 27-year-old bricklayer told the court how he and wife Leanne had a medieval-themed wedding and they had rented a house near the farm.

Magistrates at Llandudno Court heard police had been alerted by a taxi driver who saw the van driving behind her with the lights on full beam.

Zoe Temple said she had stopped her cab at the end of the track and told the van driver about the lights.

She said the driver wanted a code seemingly for his mobile phone.

“He seemed really drunk,” she said in evidence.

“He seemed quite oblivious to who I was and I don’t know the code to his phone. He didn’t respond to anything about the lights. "He was asking for the code and I said he shouldn’t be driving.”

The van was moved out of the way of the farm entrance and the driver got out and walked back towards the farm buildings in the dark.

PC Roheryn Evans said he came across Mr Crank climbing over a barbed wire fence in his suit and waistcoat.

“The defendant was drunk. He was unsteady on his feet and eyes glazed and speech quite slurry,” the officer said.

Mr Crank was arrested for drink driving after failing a breath test with a recording of 83. The legal limit is 35.

During police interview Mr Crank made no comment to police questions but told the court hearing that after the wedding guests had gone home, he decided to walk down the track.

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His accommodation was only 200 yards from the farm entrance but he became lost in the dark.

Mr Crank said: "I saw blue lights coming towards me. I thought they were coming to help me.”

After being breathalysed he rang his new wife - his partner of nine years - to explain he was being arrested.

Wife Leanne said she ran out in her dressing gown and saw the police car. “They wouldn’t give me any information,” she told the court.

“I was crying as you can understand. It was my wedding night.”

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He said he had been advised by a solicitor to say nothing to police questions.

Cross-examined by Abdul Ali, defending, the arresting constable added: "It’s possible all the wedding party could have been wearing similar clothing but we didn’t find anyone else matching the description at the location.

"I was happy the person arrested was the correct person.”

Mr Crank denied driving the vehicle while best man and bricklayer colleague Chris Coyle said under oath he had driven the van after a single bottle of beer.

“I was wearing exactly the same as Jake except I had a hat on,” he said.

He told the court he was moving the van to the bottom of the track to leave it there and he was on his handsfree phone trying to get the code for the accommodation when the taxi driver approached.

Mr Crank has now been cleared of the drink driving allegation.

Robert Bradley, court chairman, said: "We have listened to the evidence from the prosecution and defence witnesses very carefully.

"The prosecution has to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant was the driver. In our opinion the prosecution hasn’t done this.”