Jail for speeding away from cop

SPEEDING away from police on a stolen motorcycle has ultimately left a Toowoomba man with a six-month jail sentence and off the road for more than four years.

When Jack William Alan Sweeney rode the motorcycle past a police patrol on South St about 4.40pm on September 11, officers noticed he had no rear number plate and went to stop him.

However, the 23-year-old had ignored police lights and siren and sped off into Lyndall St, Harristown, around a vehicle before weaving in and out of traffic, police prosecutor Senior Constable Al Windsor told Toowoomba Magistrates Court.

Sweeney lost control of the bike when turning into Alderley St and crashed the bike, after which he ran off.

Police later identified him by CCTV camera inside a taxi that had picked him up, Snr Const. Windsor said.

After he found out there was a warrant for his arrest, Sweeney surrendered himself to Toowoomba police on Tuesday and spent the night in custody before appearing in court to plead guilty to a string of charges arising from the incident including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, unlawfully using a motor vehicle, failing to stop and disqualified driving.

His solicitor Brad Skuse told the court his client instructed he had bought the motorcycle for $1000 but suspected it may have been stolen.

Most of his client’s criminal history was drug related and these were the first offences of this nature, Mr Skuse submitted.

Magistrate Kay Ryan sentenced Sweeney to six months in jail but ordered he be released on parole as of November 19 after serving two months and disqualified him from driving for a total four and a half years.