A suspended jail sentence hanging over his head wasn’t enough to stop Joey Peter Styles’ foolhardy display of dangerous driving.
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His on-the-run decision that it was quite OK to reach speeds of up to 120km/h in a 50km/h zone in Mulwala in the dead of night has landed him in Junee jail.
Magistrate Rodney Brender asked the Cobram man’s solicitor in Albury Local Court whether Styles had managed to keep away from drugs and alcohol in recent times.
“He has been in custody since June 1,” Rod Kennedy replied, “so yes, he would be drug- and alcohol-free.”
Styles, 27, pleaded guilty to a second offence of drive recklessly-furiously or speed manner dangerous, a second offence of driving while disqualified and fail to comply with a request or signal to stop vehicle.
But he won’t be sentenced until August 17, with Mr Brender ordering the preparation of a pre-sentence report.
That will include an assessment of Styles’ suitability for an intensive corrections order.
Police told the court they were patrolling Melbourne Street in Mulwala on November 11, 2017, about 10pm when they saw a Holden Astra drifting to one side then the other side on the roadway.
After Styles corrected his driving, police pulled in behind him and turned on the car’s lights and sirens.
But Styles took off at speed towards the centre of town.
He overtook another car and then cut a corner, both on the wrong side, while approaching a roundabout that happened to be near the Mulwala police station.
Styles’s high speeds were reached in Hume Street.
He was arrested at Cobram on February 2.
Police said Styles had a considerable criminal record in both NSW and Victoria.