Words fail me. Forget the 4kmh tolerance nonsense.
"The dangerous pursuit took place between the North Shore and West Auckland on April 18, shortly after 20-year-old Glenn Herman had finished serving a previous home detention sentence for other offending.
"You should be going to prison for this today," Judge Belinda Pidwell told Herman. But she said his age and remorse were enough to save him from a spell behind bars.
Herman, with three passengers in a Suzuki Swift, was spotted in Birkdale where police tried to pull him over. More than three times the breath-alcohol limit at the time, the driver put his foot down, reaching speeds of more than 100km/h in a 50km/h zone.
Accelerating to at least 120km/h, Herman shot down Albany Highway, swerving on to the wrong side of the road to avoid police road spikes. He turned on to State Highway 18, down the off-ramp, heading towards Greenhithe on the wrong side of the motorway.
"Police abandoned the pursuit due to the risk to the public," the summary of facts said.
socram,
Dec 23, 11:11am
At one stage, Herman pulled off the motorway at Greenhithe down a dead-end road. Police tried to pen him in but he darted around a palm tree and the pursuit continued.
He drove west at more than 140km/h, again on the wrong side of the road, as other road users took evasive action to avoid a head-on collision.
The chase nearly ended when Herman sped straight over a roundabout and into a bank, but he was able to reverse out and continue.
The chopper tracked him as he exited State Highway 16 at Lincoln Rd and pulled into a driveway, and directed officers on the road to the location.
They found him behind the wheel with the engine still running.
"It is, quite frankly, a miracle that you are standing there today and that other members of the community were not affected by this appalling, sustained, dangerous piece of driving," Judge Pidwell said.
She called it "the trifecta of offending".
"Not only were you reckless but you were drunk and you were non-compliant with the authorities," she said.
The 20-year-old had a "significant number" of previous convictions, the judge said, but none of them were driving-related.
She emphasised Herman's second home detention term was his last chance.
"This is an opportunity for you to face your offending, to turn your life around and actually get to the bottom of why you have been doing this," Judge Pidwell said.
Herman was also sentenced to 200 hours community work and was disqualified from driving for 15 months."
- NZME.
bwg11,
Dec 23, 11:20am
Sure as day follows night he will re-offend, probably long before 15 months and may kill an innocent person. This is why I would advocate a rocket launcher on the "tracking helicopter".
tgray,
Dec 23, 11:26am
Last chance? That should have been after the multiple previous convictions he has already had. No he won't turn his life around. And what does he really get for his illegal and stupid actions? Some community work and a disqualification from driving (so now he won't get behind the wheel of a car until 2017? yeah right!. We are far too soft on criminals in this country. How about a 30 day stint in jail? That would have given him a taste of what's coming if he continues along this path.
peja,
Dec 23, 11:28am
I'd have gone for a 30 year stay in prison myself
bjmh,
Dec 23, 12:01pm
A mate was rung by a maori warden suggesting my mate would like to come to a restorative justice meeting with the 14 yr old offender with 10 previous convictions. that helped rip off his new m/bike.M.W couldn't see why my mate got angry and told him to sex and travel.This waste of space is as bad .
gazzat22,
Dec 23, 12:34pm
How many more "last Chances"will this useless bit of pond dwelling Scum get,Bet if he had killed or injured the judge/one of his family or a fellow judge the sentence might not have been as lenient.Community Work,I wonder how many times this piece of Faeces will actually turn up.
berg,
Dec 23, 12:39pm
Phuck! But but but, you said "Police abandoned the pursuit due to the risk to the public,"! Surely that has to be bollocks. Some here will vow to the graves that police only abandon a pursuit at the time of the fatal crash. You must be misleading us with facts. How dare you! Sorry, couldn't help myself
henderson_guy,
Dec 23, 1:00pm
I'm of the opinion that failure to stop should come with a mandatory prison sentence. The only reason people run is because they know damn well that if they are fast and/or reckless enough the pursuit will be called off and they stand a good chance of getting off scot free. in other words, the benefits outweigh the consequences. Come down hard on those who run, and some might think twice.
berg,
Dec 23, 1:01pm
Totally agree
serf407,
Dec 23, 1:27pm
Has he been signed for a stockcar team yet? but 18 months might have been better for the loss of licence.
I watched a Police Chase from my front window this morning. Young idiot on a trail bike. Unless he stopped, which he didn't, Plod never had a hope of getting him.
Question is: What should the copper have done? a) activated lights siren and then given up; b) chased at well in excess of 50k in a busy residential street and then given up. Copper used option b.
TBH I feel the pointless chase was more of a hazard to the public than the turd on the bike.
As for the OP's case IMHO a bullet would be the only option. In some cases punitive justice is the only option.
2get1,
Dec 23, 5:02pm
last chance. I have seen so many offenders be to by a Judge "this is your final warning and your criminal record will be marked as such"
sad as it is, we used to laugh /cry / cringe when you would see people get their final,final,final,final warning. The system is a joke
tgray,
Dec 23, 5:15pm
Yeah. Some people are getting convicted for for drink driving 12 times and still not getting jail time. Fines mean nothing - they simply don't pay. Loss of licence mean nothing - they simply continue driving. Put their arses in jail for 6 months. That will give then the short/sharp shock they need.
socram,
Dec 23, 5:26pm
As one who joined the UK Prison Service way back in 1967, one of the options for young offenders (under 21) was a Detention Centre. A "short, sharp shock" of 3 months or 6 months.
They had a pretty good success rate - then the do gooding lefties moved in and claimed it was inhumane (it wasn't - probably more humane than the army) and got them wiped out.
At his age and already with a record, a prime candidate for a residential boot camp environment I would have thought. Community service is a total joke.
Totally agree with the above posts. If you are an old granny doing 55kph or heaven forbid, 105kph on a motorway, you really are a criminal and you won't get let off with community service. They'll attack your pension!
trogedon,
Dec 23, 5:40pm
Having worked with youth offenders in recent years Boot camps have little success rate. They come back to their crap families, crap mates and bring their damaged psyches back with them. In other words they come back to the community that set them up for disaster in the first place with the same mindset - only now a bit more knowledgeable about what they can get away with and fitter. This guy deserves prison - firstly to protect society.
2get1,
Dec 23, 5:42pm
Nz used to have a thing called "corrective training" it was done upon the prison farm at rangipo for youth offenders in court more than once, recall dropping a few off there for the sentence. short sharp shock alright, induction cell, stripped bare,washed with a firehose, given their garb and soap comb and tooth / cell brush and double marched into their new home for 3months.
don't know if we still have it here. Im kind of a believer that other than minor stuff, tickets you pay etc, instant fines not court imposed. other than that you get one chance to screw up (everyones enitled to one chance,one warning) ,dont learn ,re offend next time its a week in jail, from there, re offend and your time doubles each time, until you figure out where you are going wrong and get your shit sorted.
stevo2,
Dec 23, 5:43pm
He'll be rapt to get Community Service so he can spend a few hours with his mates.
townie55,
Dec 23, 8:46pm
I also totally agree. Let it be common knowledge that being convicted of failing to stop is a mandatory 4 weeks jail. I think it would cut failing to stop incidents by half overnight.
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