An 18-year-old man ignored red lights and stop signs when he reached speeds of up to 190km/h in a stolen car as he led police on a pursuit through Orange.
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Jessie Turner, of Dale Street, handed himself into Bathurst Police Station following the pursuit and said he stole the car after getting into an argument with a woman.
He told police the Ford Falcon belonged to another woman and the keys were on a hook in the house where the argument took place so he took them and the car.
He then drove the car through Orange before getting into the police pursuit between 9.15pm and 10pm on December 11.
Police saw Turner driving the car on Lone Pine Avenue and attempted to stop him for a random breath test but he sped away through multiple residential streets and reached 190km/h on the Southern Feeder Road and turned off his headlights.
Police saw him turn right onto Anson Street from a distance and ended the pursuit due to the danger he posed to himself and others.
Turner then drove to Bathurst and on to Lithgow but he returned to Bathurst at 11pm and handed himself in to Bathurst police. The car was recovered from the front of the police station.
Turner told the police he had smoked cannabis and drank four Woodstocks and three cans of rum earlier that night and he drove about 180 kilometres while in possession of the car.
Although Turner had only recently turned 18 and it was his first adult criminal matter, he also had an extensive juvenile criminal history that included terms of imprisonment.
Magistrate Alison Viney said Turner had already been in custody since December 11 after he was refused bail.
She said due to his young age she has to consider his chance of rehabilitation as being higher than it would be for an older person but there would come a point when his age would not help him.
"I appreciate that you have had an early life that's been very difficult," she said.
The only person who is going to be in a position to keep you out of jail is you
- Magistrate Alison Viney
"The only person who is going to be in a position to keep you out of jail is you.
"It's all in your hands."
Solicitor Mason Mawaring said Turner knew he was "going quick to avoid the police".
"He's had a difficult life, that's born out by his juvenile history," Mr Manwaring said.
"He's obviously a young man who needs help."
Ms Viney sentenced Turner to eight-months jail with a three-month non-parole period from December 11 to March 10, 2021, and disqualified him from driving for 18 months for the police pursuit.
She also gave him an identical concurrent jail sentence for stealing the car.
Ms Viney also fined Turner $500 and disqualified his driver's licence for driving while unlicensed.
She convicted him without further penalty for self-administering cannabis and cannabis possession.
For driving with cannabis in his system she placed him on a 12-month Community Release Order with conviction and disqualified him from obtaining a driver's licence for 12 months.
For driving under the influence of alcohol, she gave him another 12-month CRO with conviction, disqualified him from driving for six months and placed him on a 24-month interlock order.
Turner initially pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs but changed his pleas on Wednesday so the matter could be finalised.
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