Judge tells boy racer to ‘stop being an idiot’

A man caught doing burnouts at a large boy racer gathering in Palmerston North has been granted a limited licence so he doesn’t have to bike the 28 minutes to work.

Aslan Lund-Jackson was previously convicted on two charges of sustained loss of traction after the incident in Kelvin Grove in June 2023 and disqualified from driving.

He told the Palmerston North District Court yesterday he made the application so he could get to and from work.

Judge Tony Couch said the purpose of a limited license was to lessen extreme hardship, but he was unsure that was present in this case.

It would take Lund-Jackson just 28 minutes to cycle to work, and although he worked as a labourer, the judge did not agree this would be “too onerous”.

He said the gathering involved a number of people “trying to show off to each other and generally being obnoxious to the public”.

However, Lund-Jackson said a cyclist had previously been killed outside his home and he wasn’t comfortable riding a bike. “I’m terrified of it.”

The judge said it was for that reason only he was prepared to grant the application.

But he also had a message for Lund-Jackson: “You’ve just got to stop being an idiot ... it’s as simple as that.”

He also told him any further infringements that incurred demerit points would be the end of his license.

Lund-Jackson’s arrest came after Palmerston North police launched Operation Spider Web targeting anti-social driving on Makomako Rd on June 9 and 10. Fourteen people were charged and 11 vehicles had been impounded.

Damage to the small cul-de-sac as a result of the weekend’s gathering was about $70,000.