A 30-year-old man who was accused of violating road rules by driving 130km/h in a 50km/h zone was sentenced to 13 months and 14 days imprisonment in the Broken Hill Local Court on Tuesday, with a minimum non-parole period of eight months.
The man committed the offence in Broken Hill on April 19 and was charged with driving recklessly, using an unregistered motor vehicle, driving an uninsured vehicle, and driving on the road without a license.
He had been on parole for a previous driving offence at the time of his arrest.
Magistrate Jacqueline Trad said the speed the man was driving at was “utter madness” and the ensuing police chase endangered pedestrians, drivers, and the man himself.
“These sorts of matters are a real concern to the community,” Ms Trad said.
“Simply stopping … would have resulted in a relatively minor incident compared to a pursuit … of some length.”
Ms Trad said as the man was on parole for another police pursuit at the time of his arrest, time behind bars was unavoidable.
“Over a period of 12 months we’ve had this succession of extremely serious driving matters,” she said. “The threshold for a jail sentence has been crossed.”
The court heard that the man, who appeared via video link, quickly realised he’d made a mistake in not pulling over when asked to do so by police.
“He felt stupid and should have pulled over,” he convicted man’s lawyer told the court.
The man plead guilty to all four offences and the earliest he could be released is mid-December.
