Teen jailed for rampage

Crime spree ended after being cornered at Mcdonald’s

YOU ARE A MENACE … TO DRIVE A VEHICLE DURING THE DAY ON BUSY TOWNSVILLE STREETS DOES NOT REQUIRE MUCH IMAGINATION TO SEE THAT THERE WOULD BE POTENTIAL HARM. JUDGE GREGORY LYNHAM

A TEENAGER who embarked on a 16-day traffic rampage to avoid arrest was finally arrested in a Townsville Mcdonald’s car park.

Trent Walker was on parole for dangerous driving and was 19 years old when he led police on three highspeed getaways.

The Townsville District Court heard on August 1, 2019 police attempted to stop Walker at an address in Mount Louisa but he rammed the police car and drove off.

Crown prosecutor Molly Mahlouzarides told the court Walker wove through traffic on Dalrymple Rd, ran a red light and swerved on to the wrong side of the road. Three days later police patrolling the Aitkenvale area spotted Walker and signalled for him to pull over.

Walker ignored them and sped away at more than 40km/h over the speed limit with a fixed road camera recording his speed as 101km/h.

Then on August 8, 2019 Walker fled police again, after being ordered to pull over he sped through a school zone at 80km/h. Walker was spotted in the Rasmussen Mcdonald’s car park on August 16, 2019 and was parked in by a police car.

CCTV camera footage of the police interception was presented to the court and showed the moment Walker attempted to flee but instead wedged his car under the police car’s bullbar. The video shows Walker attempting to escape out the rear passenger side door while the other occupants of the car took off on foot with police giving chase.

The father of one was arrested and a search of the Holden Commodore found a small quantity of methamphetamine. Walker pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and evade police.

Defence barrister Harvey Walters presented a letter from Walker’s father expressing his son’s remorse for his actions and his desire to be a father to his one-year-old daughter. Judge Gregory Lynham did not sympathise with Walker’s “appalling” offences. “You are a menace … to drive a vehicle during the day on busy Townsville streets does not require much imagination to see that there would be potential harm for other road users.” he said.

“I must say Mr Walker I do not express the same degree of optimism as your father that you will get out and stay out of trouble.”

Walker was sentenced to three years’ jail with a parole eligibility date set at August 29, 2020.