Jailed for stolen car pursuit

Polair helicopter footage captures Range Rover crashing, burning

ONE of three young men involved in a series of offences during a dangerous driving incident through Toowoomba streets in a stolen car has been jailed.

Steven Brendan Duncan had been picked up by two juvenile boys in a stolen Range Rover about 12.15pm on March 25, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

A Polair helicopter had tracked the stolen car as it reached speeds of 130kmh on suburban streets before driving down the Range and back up again, swerving around police “stingers” placed across the road at various sites.

The car had been driven on the wrong side of the road and had crashed into a Holden ute on the up-section of the Range Highway and into a Nissan Pathfinder as it swerved to avoid police stingers back in Toowoomba, police prosecutor Katherine Steele told the court.

Duncan, 23, was a passenger in the car at the time but had been yelling at the teenage driver to stop as he was on parole and feared being returned to prison, his solicitor Amber Acreman told the court.

When the car drove into East Toowoomba, Duncan had forced the driver out of the driver’s seat and took control of the car.

However, instead of stopping at that point, he drove over police stingers, bursting all four tyres, but continued driving on the car’s rims at speeds of about 50 to 60kmh, Ms Steele said.

With police following, the stolen car eventually drove into a paddock, driving over three sets of fences before crashing into a tree after which the trio got out.

One of the juveniles surrendered to police while Duncan and the other ran off into bushland as the stolen car caught fire and was destroyed.

Duncan and the teenager were found in a shed and arrested and the 23-year-old had spent the ensuing five months in custody, initially serving out his previous sentence before doing 12 days pre-sentence custody.

He appeared by video link from Borallon Prison to plead guilty to all charges.

Magistrate Graham Lee sentenced Duncan to nine months in jail but ordered he be eligible to apply for release on parole as of October 7 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years.