Not stopping for police ‘stupid’

A BURDEKIN man has been slapped with a fine in the thousands, with his solicitor revealing the hospitality worker now knows “it was stupid not to stop for police”.

Nathan Robert Tsaousis, 21, pleaded guilty to a charge of evading police, which arose from an incident between Ayr and Home Hill in May this year.

Senior police prosecutor Darryn Casson said Tsaousis was parked in a Mitsubishi Lancer at Mcdesme near Ayr at 8.10pm on May 2 with his lights turned on.

Mr Casson said police pulled up behind the vehicle, getting out to speak with the driver, but before they could do so Tsaousis drove off towards Home Hill.

The court was told Tsaousis called the police at 9.10pm that evening claiming the vehicle had been stolen earlier, and 15 minutes later the car was found a short distance from his family home.

Mr Casson said police reviewed CCTV footage from the area at the time the car was claimed to have been stolen and found no evidence that this was the case.

Defence solicitor Rebecca Hudson said Tsaousis, who was charged with evading police on May 21, had a passenger who was not a friend but an acquaintance in the car at the time of the incident.

Ms Hudson said the passenger, who had asked for a lift, pleaded with Tsaousis to drive away when the police pulled up behind them.

“He panicked when he saw the police sirens. He says that his passenger pleaded with him to keep driving,” Ms Hudson said.

“He found out later the passenger had a warrant out for his arrest.”

Checks during the court proceedings showed the passenger was wanted for questioning by police, but did not have a warrant out against him. Ms Hudson said Tsaousis accepted the decision not to stop for police was “stupid”.

Tsaousis was convicted and fined $6700 and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for two years.