A recidivist offender with "no regard" for road rules in NSW who hit 145km/h on Wagga Road has expressed relief he didn't kill anyone.
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Peter Wayne Mackay was fleeing from police as he entered a 60km/h zone near Kaitlers Road in Lavington.
The 37-year-old promised in Albury Local Court this week he had come to his senses and had insight into his drug addiction.
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Mackay, also known by the surname of McCann, will have some time to ponder his past after magistrate Richard Funston sentenced him to two years' jail.
But he also found special circumstances for Mackay, due to his deprived upbringing and his battle with illicit drugs, and so set him a long stretch on parole.
Mackay, who has lived in recent times in both Deniliquin and East Albury, must serve 12 months behind bars before securing parole.
"I acknowledge you do have a commitment to trying to maintain a drug-free life," Mr Funston said.
Mackay was allowed to read from a diary in which he addressed his battle to turn his life around.
The passages he recited were written in jail a couple of days before his sentence hearing.
"I was fighting fire with fire," he says. "I'm thankful and blessed to still be here, that I didn't kill anyone."
Another journal entry from two years ago, when he unable to find a way forward, mentioned the death of his son.
"When I lost my son, I lost my soul."
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Mr Funston told Mackay his son's death was truly tragic, but he also emphasised there came a point when people had to move forward with their lives.
Mackay pleaded guilty to three sets of charges, one stemming from matters at Deniliquin.
The first comprised a second-offence police pursuit, a second offence of driving while disqualified and using an unregistered and uninsured vehicle.
These charges were laid over an incident on April 11 when police heading north on Wagga Road, Lavington, about 7.15am saw a white sedan turning right from Gerogery Road.
The car swung wide on making the turn, then returned to the south-bound lane.
After the pursuit began, Mackay hit 145km/h in an 80km/h zone and didn't slow down when he entered a 60km/h zone.
He then slowed before going through a red light at Kaitlers Road, at which point the pursuit was terminated.
Mackay's car was last seen travelling at between 120km/h and 140kmh on Wagga Road.
Just nine days later he was involved in another pursuit, this time north of Holbrook, near Wagga.
Mackay will be released on October 26, 2021.
