Patrick Phillip Colin Heenan served jail time for Nyngan pursuit

Patrick Phillip Colin Heenan, 36, will serve a seven month jail term in the community after a motorbike pursuit at Nyngan last year.

Highway patrol officers received information about a yellow coloured road bike speeding along the Barrier Highway toward Nyngan, about 12pm on September 28 last year.

Police began patrolling the highway in search of the motorbike when they spotted it approaching them at 159km/h in a 110 km/h zone. Police activated their warning devices to stop the bike, when its speed increased to 172km/h.

According to court documents, police said they saw Heenan who was the rider, tuck his head down into the bike and rev the engine before he sped past them at about 200km/h.

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Police turned their car around when it became clear Heenan was attempting to evade them.

A pursuit began through the 80km/h zone heading toward Nyngan, where the motorbike overtook one vehicle. The bike was pursued into Nyngan and the town's 50km/h zone where he was travelling at 140km/h and overtook another vehicle.

The bike headed down Moonagee Street at 100km/h until it turned left onto Oxley Street and pulled into a driveway.

Police followed Heenan and called out to him, when he ran inside the home and closed the back door behind him.

Further police arrived at the home to assist with the arrest.

The officers kicked the door open and asked Heenan to show his hands. After a number of requests Heenan presented himself and was fully complaint.

He was arrested and taken to Nyngan Police Station where he made full admissions telling officers he "f--ked up" and panicked when he saw them.

In Dubbo Local Court last Thursday, Heenan pleaded guilty initiating a police pursuit and driving recklessly, two counts of exceeding the speed limit, and driving with drugs in his blood.

According to police a month earlier on August 12, 2021, Heenan was driving along the Mitchell Highway at Mullengudgery when he was pulled over by police for random testing, when cannabis and methamphetamine was detected in his system.

He was arrested and taken to Nyngan Police Station, however due to a machine fault a sample was sent to the NSW Forensic and Analytical Science Service at Lidcombe for analysis. The sample later returned positive to THC and ice.

Heenan later told officers he had taken ice the night before.

In court defence solicitor David Hemsworth said since the offence in September, his client had become abstinent from ice, and had significantly reduced his cannabis intake.

The court heard that despite withdrawing from the court's merit program due to working as a contractor around Nyngan and Collie, he has continued with drug and alcohol counselling appointments.

"He tells me one of the things that [his counsellor] has helped him to do it open up about his addiction and the things that are troubling him with his mental health," Mr Hemsworth said.

"He tells me that's something he's never done before."

Magistrate Theresa Hamilton accepted it wasn't a lengthy pursuit, and Heenan made full admissions to panicking when he saw police.

She said the sentencing assessment report showed while he withdrew from the merit program he participated in nine of the scheduled appointments, and had engaged well with treatment.

However the court heard Heenan's criminal history didn't support him, and was on a District Court community corrections order for firearm offences when this offending occurred.

Magistrate Hamilton found the offences called for a jail sentence.

Heenan was convicted and sentenced to a seven month intensive corrections order, fined $1100 and disqualified from driving for six months.

Magistrate Hamilton also ordered he continue with drug and alcohol counselling and treatment.