A YOUNG man with a "massive" drug problem has been jailed for leading police on a high-speed pursuit in a stolen car.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dubbo Local Court heard Beau John Peralta pushed an Audi A5 coupe to the limit on a 913km driving frenzy from Geelong to Dubbo.
During the journey the 23-year-old used a mobile phone to photograph the car's speedometer exceeding 200km/h and transmitted the images to his girlfriend in Cairns.
Peralta was red-faced and anxious when he appeared before Magistrate Andrew Eckhold yesterday via video link from Wellington Correctional Centre.
Guilty pleas were entered to charges of police pursuit-not stop-drive dangerously, drive while disqualified, take and drive conveyance, drive conveyance without the consent of owner, enter enclosed land without lawful excuse, have custody of goods suspected of being stolen, receive property stolen outside NSW, unlawfully possess "a thing resembling a number plate" and use vehicle with illegal number plate.
Peralta expressed remorse for the offending when he was called to give evidence by his Legal Aid Commission solicitor.
"I take full responsibility for what I have done," he said.
"I was using ice (crystal methamphetamine) and not thinking properly. Anything could have happened. I could have killed myself or someone else."
Peralta became highly emotional when he told the court his girlfriend was pregnant.
"I want to be a good father," he said.
"If I wasn't on drugs I wouldn't be in this predicament. I want to stay away from drugs and fix it.
"I won't be hopping back in a car any time soon."
The court heard Peralta had recently received a fine-year driving ban in Victoria. Unemployed with no ties to NSW, he had an extensive criminal history in Victoria for theft, receiving stolen goods, driving at excessive speed, police pursuits, driving while disqualified and driving at dangerous speeds.
Police said Peralta received a black 2012 Audi A5 stolen from Newtown, Victoria. False number plates were attached to the front and rear of the vehicle when Peralta left Geelong with the intention of driving 2903km to see his girlfriend in Cairns.
He stopped at a number of service stations to refuel the vehicle, driving off without paying on each occasion.
Highway patrol officers clocked the Audi at 165km/h 2km south of Tomingley on September 23.
Police did a u-turn and activated all warning devices in an attempt to pull over the vehicle.
A pursuit was initiated when Peralta accelerated harshly, reaching 208km/h.
Prosecution facts tendered to the court said Peralta did not yield or slow as he overtook several vehicles and drove "at the edge of control".
The Audi continued at speed, swerving over the centre line and back while travelling on straight stretches of highway.
Police discontinued the pursuit due to safety risks and lost contact with the Audi.
Another highway patrol vehicle detected the Audi travelling at 208km/h at the intersection of the Newell Highway and Pania Avenue, near Dubbo.
The Audi turned off the highway and dumped the vehicle in scrub near a farm house and located a black Holden Commodore utility with the keys inside.
Peralta transferred his belongings into the utility and drove towards Dubbo.
The owners of the utility recognised their vehicle heading north of River Street on the Newell Highway.
They did a u-turn, called Triple-0 and followed Peralta as he headed towards Gilgandra.
Peralta pulled over just north of Paintmine Road at Eumungerie. He got out and pleaded with the owners of the utility not to contact police.
Peralta said he was on the run and climbed a fence through a paddock at 'Merrendee', Eumungerie.
He left a bag near a tree and continued to a farmhouse where he was confronted by the property owner.
Magistrate Eckhold said Peralta had been involved in an incredibly serious example of police pursuit.
"You presented a real danger to the community because of the speeds and distance involved," the magistrate said.
"I have to use you as an example for others.
"Jail is the only sentencing option. Hopefully you will get a grip on reality. If you are an absent father with a drug dependency your child will end up in your position."
Peralta was sentenced to 18 months jail for the police pursuit. A nine-month non parole period was set.
A series of two-year bonds were imposed for driving while disqualified, taking and driving a conveyance, driving a conveyance without the consent of the owner, having goods in custody, receiving property outside NSW.
Peralta was convicted without further penalty for entering enclosed land without lawful excuse, unlawfully possessing a thing resembling a number plate and using a vehicle with an illegal number plate.
Magistrate Eckhold made a finding a special circumstances due to Peralta's youth and need for drug rehabilitation.
Peralta was disqualified from driving for three years.