Man cops $13,000 fine
Biker gets double for failing to stop again
A TWENTY-two year old motorcyclist has been stung with an eye-watering $13,000 fine for failing to stop for police while he was already on probation for the same crime.
Two fines – each of $6527.50, were slapped on Liam Charles Vines, who sped away from police near Ellis Beach and Port Douglas earli- er this year. Cairns Magistrates Court yesterday heard Vines failed to stop for Cairns police when they saw him overtake a vehicle across double lines near Ellis Beach in March.
Vines did not stop for the officers and sped south on a grey Yamaha motorcycle.
One month later he was observed riding the bike between Mossman and Port Douglas and again failed to stop for a police road side breath test.
The court heard he was already on probation for failing to stop on two previous occasions in Cooktown.
Vines pleaded guilty to failing to stop, riding while disqualified, and breaching probation.
Police had tracked Vines to his Bundaberg residence where he admitted he was the rider who did not pull over and told them he did not want to be caught while riding unlicensed.
Defending solicitor Tom Eckersley said he client had been “in a rut with the peer group he was living with” in Mossman at the time.
He said Vines was now working on a solar farm in Childers.
Magistrate Jannelle Brassington said failing to stop was considered serious enough to warrant “onerous” fines, or custody.
She sentenced Vines to three months in jail to be suspended immediately for 12 months and disqualified him from holding a licence for two years.
“The best protection for the community is for a young person to be working, earning money and getting on with their lives,” Ms Brassington said.
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