Jail for ‘Grand Theft Auto’ incident
A 20-year-old whose meth-fuelled driving was said to be straight out of the Grand Theft Auto computer game has been jailed nine months.
Dominic Joseph Sullivan, of Sydenham, was also disqualified from driving for a year, and ordered to pay reparations of $350 for one of the cars he damaged.
But his mother told the Christchurch District Court at his sentencing that the real financial impact is a $20,000 bill she has received from the insurance company for the rest of the damage.
Sullivan was appearing for sentence on charges of driving while forbidden, possession of a pipe for smoking methamphetamine, possession of tools for breaking into cars, failing to stop for the police, reckless driving, failing to remain stopped for the police, possession of amphetamine, breach of bail, unlawful possession of prescription medicines, and possession of methamphetamine.
Judge Jane Farish described him as “a relatively young man who has been mixing with the wrong crowd”. She was told he had split with his partner at the time of the October 7 incident. The judge noted that she had recently taken pleas from that woman on serious drug charges.
“You need to stay away from that environment,” Judge Farish told Sullivan.
She said that after reading the police account of his driving exploits, she was not surprised to hear that the insidious drug methamphetamine was involved.
Defence counsel Josh Lucas said Sullivan had been on both methamphetamine and amphetamine at the time of the incident, which may have caused him to react with “paranoia and panic attacks” when police stopped him.
“He acted more like a character from the Grand Theft Auto computer game, and not the hard working young man he is,” said Mr Lucas.
During his two months remanded in custody he had dissociated himself from his partner, dried out, and reassessed his life, he said.
Judge Farish said Sullivan had driven off from a police stop, where the officers found he was forbidden to drive, and had sped through Selwyn Street and Disraeli Street, colliding with one car, and then went at 147km an hour on the Southern Motorway, weaving around heavy traffic.
His car struck the side of a police car during the pursuit, injuring a woman officer’s arm, before his car slid out of control. Police found the drugs at the scene and again when Sullivan was picked up while on bail a few days later.
The judge imposed special prison release conditions for Sullivan to attend an intervention programme, and complete an alcohol and drug assessment and counselling as directed.
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