Quoc Thang Vo jailed for range of driving and drug offences, including watching TV while on meth

A man has been jailed for a spate of appalling driving offences, including watching TV while driving – and high on meth.

An Adelaide father of three who drove a car while watching TV – and on drugs – will spend the rest of the year in prison after pleading guilty to a range of drug and traffic offences.

Quoc Thang Vo, from Ottaway, appeared in Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday, where it heard he had ignored numerous licence disqualifications over an 18-month period, drove while on drugs and even tried to evade the police helicopter at speeds of 164km/h.

Magistrate Mark Semmens told Vo imprisonment was “the only sentence justified” for his 11 separate driving and drug offences that dated back to 2022.

“Your driving was deliberate in defiance of the orders of the police and also the demerit point disqualifications,” Mr Semmens said.

“You have a significant record of driving disqualified.

“(There was) an unusual charge of driving with a television operating – you were drug driving on that occasion. An instant loss of licence had been issued on the previous matter … and you should have obeyed that as well but you didn’t.”

During a patrol stop earlier this year, police searched of a vehicle where Vo was found to be in possession of a “small amount of heroin”, a “small quantity of a drug” and six Xanax tablets.

A medical script was also located, and Vo was subsequently arrested and charged with unlawful possession.

On July 16, 2023, Vo was issued an instant loss of licence after being tracked by a police helicopter speeding on the North-South Motorway while driving disqualified, a court heard.

“The helicopter maintained observation of the vehicle and tracked it at 164km/h on that expressway,” Mr Semmens said.

“The vehicle was stopped and you were found to be the driver. You said you were unsure whether you were disqualified and you denied speeding, however everything was tracked by the police helicopter.

“You should have taken heed of that warning as well, because four days later – and not to dismiss your attitude, but it was a wilfully disobedient one – you were disqualified for demerit points again.”

Vo was sentenced to seven months, two weeks and five days in prison.

He was also issued a nine-month driver’s licence disqualification.