A man trying to do a runner from police at 160km/h failed to slow down when heavy rain intervened near Howlong, a court has heard.
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Jonathon Winslett had earlier fled a house in town when police came knocking on the front door over something that had nothing to do with him.
Winslett quickly said his goodbyes to the occupants of the house before fleeing.
But it took 18 months for the matter involving the Gosford man to be finalised in Albury Local Court.
Winslett spent several months in custody before getting bail on the charge, then fought the matter in a hearing in February that went against him.
There was no dispute the pursuit happened, but Winslett tried to argue that it wasn’t him driving the car after trying to cast doubt on the evidence of witnesses.
Magistrate Rodney Brender ultimately decided that the time Winslett spent behind bars after his arrest – from November 10, 2016, to May 11, 2017 – was punishment enough.
Bail was granted on that date only after Winslett was found not guilty of another matter. Winslett, 32, had pleaded not guilty to a single charge of police pursuit, not stop, drive dangerously over a chase solicitor Rod Kennedy said was “quite short”.
But Mr Brender said the fact the pursuit was brief did not negate the seriousness and danger of what Winslett did.
“It was 160km/h in order to keep up with the vehicle,” he said, while also pointing how it had begun to rain.
When previously handing down his decision, Mr Brender noted that “during the course of the hearing there was no doubt about the prosecution case about the actual pursuit”.
While Mr Brender said the case against Winslett was circumstantial, the evidence of witnesses – including the man in the house who saw Winslett run to his car – was enough to settle the issue of identity.
Police went to the Howlong house on September 9, 2016, finding a car registered to Winslett – who was wanted on outstanding warrants – in the driveway.
A few minutes later police saw Winslett leave the house, get in the car and drive off.
He began speeding when he became aware police were following, reaching 80km/h in a 50km/h zone.
Police soon had to increase their speed to 130km/h to keep up then to 160km/h on the Walbundrie Road before it began to rain, which stopped the pursuit.
Winslett was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.