Nathan Heath Miller, who dragged SA Police officer with his car rather than go through RBT, jailed for ‘cowardly’ crime

Looking to duck his 19th conviction, this driver flung a police officer into a tree rather than go through an RBT – and a judge says he’s an ‘unquestionable coward’.

Nathan Heath Miller has no licence to drive but, every time he is behind the wheel, drives like his traumatised past grants him licence to break the law without consequences.

On Anzac Day 2023, Miller – driving while unauthorised – ducked into a side street to avoid both an RBT and his 19th conviction for breaching the state’s road rules.

When an SA Police officer tried to stop him, Miller instead accelerated – dragging the officer for 100m, at 40km/h, before flinging him into a kerb, tree and bins.

Miller fled the scene and called his then-partner who, the District Court said on Monday, has best encapsulated the reality of the situation.

Nathan Heath Miller. Picture: Supplied

“She said to you ‘are you f---ing kidding me, what the f--- is wrong with you, you’d rather get done for that than a f---ing breatho, are you serious?,” Judge Anthony Allen said.

“You are a deeply damaged individual … your actions were unquestionably cowardly.

“(The trauma that) happened to you in your past doesn’t provide you with a licence to commit crimes without consequence.”

Miller, 48, pleaded guilty to offences including aggravated causing harm by dangerous driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving while unauthorised.

The charges arise from an incident at Elaine Ave, Seaton, which left Miller’s victim – who was volunteering, while off-duty, to run an RBT station – with a broken leg.

In sentencing on Monday, Judge Allen said Miller’s guilty pleas came after he had “spent a day evading” police, and even shaved his head to disguise himself.

The incident occurred at an SA Police roadside drug and alcohol testing station. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

He said they were followed by Miller claiming, without supporting evidence, he “could not stop” because his partner was suffering a medical emergency.

“You shouldn’t have been driving, you caused injuries to a member of the police force who was simply going about his duty,” he said.

“You callously abandoned him, leaving him injured on the footpath while you drove off to escape.

“You continued to construct a farrago (confused mixture) of lies and, notwithstanding your pleas, attempted to perpetrate the lies you constructed in evidence in this court.

“You have demonstrated a complete disregard for the laws put in place to protect us all, and a complete inability to comply with the orders of the court.

“Your prospects for rehabilitation are extremely poor.”

Judge Allen jailed Miller for more than five years, but reduced that sentence to 4 ½ years on account of his pleas.

He fixed a non-parole period of three years, backdated to Miller’s arrest on April 26, 2023.