Jail time for carjacker

Driver’s guilty pleas after dramatic police chase

A MAN who led police on a dangerous car chase through Hobart – driving at a policewoman, carjacking and threatening to kill a man on the Tasman Highway – has been jailed.

Steven Albert Thomas, 36, was jailed in the Supreme Court of Tasmania for a minimum of three years yesterday, following the events on December 20 last year, when he was arrested hours after the chase following a large-scale search involving a helicopter.

The events started about 1pm when Thomas sped away from police in Glenorchy, Justice Gregory Geason said.

Police later saw Thomas driving through Berriedale and activated their lights and sirens, but Thomas didn’t stop and travelled on to Main Rd directly in front of traffic, causing motorists to swerve.

He was then seen driving on the wrong side of the road towards Glenorchy before he sped past a crash scene at Risdon

Vale, taking a bend at nearly 80km/h with the car apparently crashing.

Justice Geason said a police officer ran towards Thomas’s car, yelling for him and his two passengers to get out of the vehicle, but Thomas drove at her instead.

On the Tasman Highway, Thomas parked his car at an angle blocking other traffic and went to the driver’s side of a Mazda ute, telling the driver to get out or he’d kill him.

The man remained seated but Thomas dragged him from the vehicle, Justice Geason said. By the time Thomas reached Midway Point, police had deployed road spikes, which punctured the front passenger tyre of the vehicle, but Thomas still didn’t stop.

Justice Geason said when Thomas travelled across the Tasman Bridge, the front passenger tyre of the ute had “completely disintegrated” and was being driven on the rim.

Police tried to intercept Thomas but he travelled straight past, with officers following, through two red lights.

An extensive search, including a police helicopter, was undertaken and Thomas was seen at Claremont in a taxi about 7.15pm.

Justice Geason said Thomas, who pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving, assaulting a police officer, carjacking, two counts of evading police and two counts of driving while disqualified, had issues with substance abuse.

Justice Geason jailed Thomas for four years and nine months, with a non-parole period of three years.