‘Stingers’ put a stop to driver

A TOOWOOMBA man had been under the influence of too much medication when he led police on a pursuit which only ended when officers applied tyre deflation devices on the road.

Desmond John Frost had been on strong pain killers when he was seen to swerve his car across the road while driving without headlights on Pine Mountain Rd, Brassall, about 8pm, May 28, 2017, Toowoomba Murri Court heard.

Ignoring police directions to stop, he continued driving until “stingers” were deployed by police on Glamorgan Rd, Ipswich, about half-an hour later puncturing his car’s tyres and bringing him to a halt, police prosecutor Sergeant Al Windsor told the court.

Though he claimed to have no recollection of the events that night, Frost pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence, failing to stop on police direction and unlicensed driving.

“I really just want to do the right thing,” the 35-year-old told the court.

Magistrate Kay Ryan said failing to stop for police was a serious offence that attracted hefty mandatory penalties including a $6600 fine or 50 days in jail without parole.

However, Ms Ryan acknowledged Frost had done very well on the Murri Court Program that he’d been subject to since January prior to his sentence hearing yesterday and that he was now caring for his ailing mother.

Ms Ryan fined Frost $6800, which was referred to SPER (State Penalties Enforcement Registry) and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for a total of three years.