Swindon Magistrates’ Court has seen a surge in prosecutions involving motorists from across the region, with a series of high-profile driving offences occurring near Junctions 16 and 17 of the M4 motorway. The recent cases highlight a range of infractions, from routine speeding to more serious charges involving driving while disqualified and under the influence of drugs.
Among those recently sentenced was 59-year-old Daryl Powell, of Cheviot Close in Quedgeley, Gloucestershire. Powell appeared in court following a speeding incident on February 22, 2025, where he was clocked exceeding the 70mph limit while driving a BMW X6. The bench penalised him with a £440 fine, alongside £130 in court costs and a £176 victim services surcharge. Additionally, six penalty points were added to his driving licence.
In a separate, more complex case, 40-year-old Darren Harty of Long Cross, Bristol, pleaded guilty to multiple charges linked to an incident on March 7, 2026. Harty admitted to driving a white Transit van on the M4 Junction 16 roundabout while disqualified. Further charges include driving without valid third-party insurance and operating the vehicle with 2.7 micrograms of THC per litre of blood in his system. Sentencing for Harty has been deferred, as he has yet to enter pleas for additional charges currently pending against him.
Meanwhile, Rodion Gladuneac, 30, of Sharpans Close in Uxbridge, received his sentence for a series of driving offences dating back to May 26, 2024. Gladuneac was caught driving a Ford Transit on the M4 near Swindon without a valid licence or insurance. Furthermore, the court heard that the vehicle was so heavily overloaded at the rear that its use posed a genuine danger of injury to others on the road. More than two years after the initial offence, Gladuneac was issued a three-month driving ban, a £60 fine, and ordered to pay £90 in costs and £3,240 in victim services funding.
Finally, Kerry Riches, 50, of Jamaica Street in Stokes Croft, was sentenced for drug-driving following an incident on June 22, 2025. Riches was intercepted while driving a Ford Transit between Junctions 15 and 16 of the M4 with 80 micrograms of ketamine per litre of blood in her system—well above the legal limit. In a sentencing concluded over a year later, Riches received a 17-month driving ban and a community order mandating 60 hours of unpaid work within the next year. She was also ordered to pay £85 in court costs and £114 to fund victim services, with the total amount to be deducted directly from her benefits.
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