Driver admits actions ‘stupid’
A DUNEDIN man who rolled his car into the harbour then swam away to hide from emergency services recognises his actions were “stupid”, a court has heard.
Dylan Allan Cairns (27), who was banned from driving at the time, left two female passengers in the upsidedown, semisubmerged vehicle at Turnbulls Bay as he made his getaway on August 20 last year.
While the victims were taken to hospital, police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews, the Coastguard and Land Search and Rescue joined the hunt for Cairns.
At that stage, in the darkness of the early morning, it was unclear whether the defendant was alive.
More than an hour later, they found Cairns 150m away hiding in bushes at Yellowhead in a hypothermic state.
He had earlier attracted police attention as he sped along Harington Point Rd.
Officers pursued and later found Cairns had skidded out of control on a corner, hit a concrete cyclelane barrier and rolled into the water.
Defence counsel Alex Bligh told the Dunedin District Court this week her client acknowledged his actions were “stupid”.
Cairns pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and careless driving but the brush with tragedy was not enough to stop him reoffending.
On January 14, he was stopped by police in Corstorphine Rd and found again to be disqualified.
He said he was picking up his child.
Judge Michael Turner said it was an extension of an already “appalling” driving history in which Cairns had regularly chalked up convictions since 2011, including for multiple drinkdriving offences and three convictions for driving while disqualified in the past four years.
Prosecutor Sergeant Chris George asked the judge to consider emotional harm reparation for the two women involved in the crash.
Judge Turner said ordinarily he would have made such an order but he pointed out Cairns owed $7500 in fines, which was gradually being paid from his benefit.
A “stern response” was required for the crimes, he said.
Cairns was sentenced to five months’ community detention (with a weekend curfew) and banned from driving for nine months.