By Cam Lucadou-Wells
An 18-year-old man has been fined after a mid-afternoon, high-speed police pursuit through a busy Pakenham fast food hub.
Sian Moore of Springvale pleaded guilty to unlicensed driving, dangerous driving, using a mobile phone while driving and failing to stop at the direction of police over the 12 September incident.
Police had spotted Moore driving in the right-hand lane of McGregor Road with his mobile phone in his left hand about 2.40pm, Dandenong Magistrates’ Court was told on 23 January.
At the known blackspot intersection on Princes Highway and McGregor Road, Moore was then seen turning right against a red right-hand arrow.
A driver of an oncoming four-wheel-drive had to brake heavily to avoid a crash with Moore’s car, the court was told.
Police followed Moore and activated their vehicle’s lights and sirens as the accused pulled his car into the Pakenham Inn car park.
Moore then accelerated at a “great rate of speed” through the adjoining KFC car park.
Police soon abandoned the pursuit due to the high number of pedestrians and cars in the area.
Moore was seen failing to stop at the intersection of a McDonald’s drive-through and BP servo entrance, and was spotted escaping in his car along James Street.
When arrested 11 days later, Moore produced New Zealand identification but didn’t have a licence to drive in Victoria.
The unemployed accused had lived in Australia the past three years, the court was told.
Magistrate Clive Alsop told Moore he’d previously jailed people for similar driving behaviour but took into account the accused’s early plea of guilty.
Mr Alsop said he’d be insulting Moore’s intelligence if he lectured him on the dangers of his driving.
Moore was convicted, fined $1500 and disqualified from driving or obtaining a licence for 12 months.
