High-speed driver put lives at risk

A DISQUALIFIED driver who resorted to turning his car lights off to evade police as he sped through residential areas on Hobart’s Eastern Shore has been jailed.

Philip Mark Dare, who has 25 previous convictions for driving while disqualified, was convicted of dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, evade police and using a controlled drug.

Acting Justice David Porter sentenced Dare to six months in prison on the dangerous driving charge and 21 months on the three other charges. He will not be eligible for parole until he has served a year of that concurrent sentence.

Dare was also disqualified from driving for four years.

In the early hours of April 27, police officers saw a red Hyundai sedan driving on Rokeby Rd at Howrah. Dare and his girlfriend were inside the car.

Dare travelled on to the wrong side of the road and police activated their lights and sirens.

However, Dare did not pull over and kept driving at speed on the wrong side of the road and turned into Shoreline Drive. After turning back on to Rokeby Rd, Dare accelerated and was travelling about 150km/h when he went through a red light.

Dare continued at speed towards the intersection with Tollard Drive, went through another red light and turned on to Tollard Drive where he turned off the car lights.

At this point, police abandoned the pursuit, which had gone on for 2.7km.

Dare was arrested home on May 2.

He told police he had panicked because he had used methylamphetamine that night and knew he was driving over the speed limit.

“He agreed that his driving was dangerous and there was potential for someone to have been killed,” Acting Justice Porter said.

Dare was also convicted of dangerous driving in October 2008.

The Supreme Court in Hobart heard Dare suffered schizophrenia and was the victim of a gang bashing during a previous term in prison.

Acting Justice Porter said he took into account that the dangerous driving was not overly prolonged and that there was little traffic on the relevant roads at the time. at his