Motorist who hit 173km/h will sell car

A highway speedster who drove at more than 170 kilometres an hour has been given a chance to sell his new $13,000 car instead of having it taken off him.

On May 18, Taranaki man Ricky Taylor was clocked driving at a speed of 173km/h on State Highway 3A in his Nissan Skyline car.

When pulled over by police, he blew 749 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, which is almost three times the legal limit of 250mcg.

As he had a previous drink drive conviction in 2015, his car was up for confiscation by the New Plymouth District Court.

The 21-year-old’s lawyer Julian Hannam asked community magistrate Lesley Jensen to step back from this on the grounds of financial hardship.

He said Taylor had taken out a bank loan to buy the car and had only had it for five months.

Hannam said if the car was confiscated and then sold at auction, the price would likely be much less than what Taylor could get selling it himself.

The money would then be used to pay back the bank debt, he told the court.

Hannam said the court could impose an order for Taylor not to have any interest in a motor vehicle for a 12-month period as an alternative.

Detective Sergeant Dave MacKenzie did not oppose this proposal but he wanted proof the defendant had sold the vehicle first.

In terms of the offending, MacKenzie said Taylor was driving south on a stretch of Mountain Rd towards Inglewood, North Taranaki, which is also known as State Highway 3A, about 11.10pm on May 18.

Taylor was seen overtaking another vehicle accelerating heavily as he did so, MacKenzie said.

‘‘A police patrol unit attempted to stop the vehicle and reached a speed of 173 kilometres per hour,’’ he said.

At this time the defendant’s vehicle was seen weaving within its lane as he drove, the court hearing was told.

Police breath-tested Taylor once he was pulled over and he returned a failed result.

MacKenzie said Taylor, who is a learner driver, told police he had consumed about seven cans of premixed bourbon and cola before getting behind he wheel.

During yesterday’s hearing, Taylor pleaded guilty to drink driving and driving at a dangerous speed and was convicted.

Jensen accepted the financial hardship argument and remanded the defendant to reappear on August 16, giving him a chance to sell his car and bring proof of this to court.

She also indicated a sentence of supervision may be imposed to assist Taylor in addressing his alcohol problem, which he acknowledged was an issue.