One year in jail for cop car rammer

A CAMBOOYA man who reversed his car into a police vehicle in Toowoomba’s CBD when police tried to stop him has been jailed.

Sloan Thor Norton Heaford had been stopped by police at the corner of Margaret and Neil Sts on the afternoon of Monday, October 29, with a police car manoeuvring in front of his to block him.

However, the 26-year-old reversed his car into the police car behind, causing $9458 damage, before mounting a median strip and speeding off through a red light, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

He was later that day found by police and spent the ensuing 38 days in custody before his sentence in court yesterday.

He pleaded guilty to a total 26 charges including dangerous driving, failing to stop on police direction, possession of dangerous drugs and traffic offences arising from that incident as well as to non-related charges of passing two counterfeit $50 notes, stealing fuel, receiving a bankcard with which he committed a number of fraud offences and a range of other matters.

His solicitor Brad Skuse said his client had a drug addiction which had led to his offending.

Magistrate Viviana Keegan said “that’s what drug addiction does, you spiral out of control”.

However, Ms Keegan noted Heaford’s mother was in court supporting him and had offered him a job and family stability upon his release from prison whereupon he intended to embark on drug rehabilitation.

Ms Keegan said the offending was very serious with “significant potential risk to the public”.

“It is just by luck that no-one was hurt,” she said.

Ms Keegan took into account the 38 days Heaford had spent in custody and sentenced him to 12 months in jail but ordered he be released on parole on February 7 next year after having served another two months.

Heaford was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years.