Unlicensed Imbil woman hits 140km/h fleeing from cops

The 28-year-old had escaped from police by hitting speeds of 140km/h only two days before the accident

Candace Sheree Barkle pleaded guilty to seven charges in Gympie Magistrates Court.

An unlicensed Imbil woman who reached speeds of 140km/h while evading the police while driving with stolen licence plates was undone when her car crashed two days later.

Gympie Magistrates Court was told Candace Sheree Barkle was seen by police driving a white Daewoo eastbound on the Warrego Highway at Dalby on January 15 this year.

A police check of the car's registration revealed the licence plates were stolen.

Officers tried to pull the car over but, after first indicating she would comply, Barkle then turned her indicator off and sped away.

When she hit speeds of 140km/h overtaking a truck police called off the pursuit.

Barkle’s crashed car was found to have stolen licence plates on the front. Photo: Alistair Brightman / Fraser Coast Chronicle

Two days later Barkle was involved in a crash which put her in hospital.

Gympie's police prosecutor said the "only plate attached to the (wrecked) vehicle was a stolen plate at the front".

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The court heard other stolen plates were found in the back of the vehicle.

Barkle was unlicensed at the time of the crash (and had in fact never held a driver's licence), had 0.2mg of methamphetamine in her blood at the time an was found in possession of four syringes, three of which were unused.

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Barkle's lawyer said her 28-year-old client had been deaf "for a significant part of her childhood".

She was fined $1100, given 18 months’ probation and disqualified from driving for more than two years.

This had caused her to experience learning difficulties and left her in a position to be influenced by people of "unsociable behaviour".

She said Barkle had taken the drugs two days before the crash.

Magistrate Graham Hillan said Barkle's evasion of the police was concerning given she had done it before.

"And now you're back before the courts with a second offence," Mr Hillan said.

Barkle pleaded guilty to seven charges including two counts of receiving tainted property, one for possession of dangerous drugs, one count of disqualified driving while having never held a licence and being a repeat offender, and charges for driving while having a relevant drug present in her blood and failing to safely dispose of syringes.

Mr Hillan fined her $1100, placed her on 18 months probation and disqualified her from holding a licence for two years and eight months.

Originally published as Unlicensed Imbil woman hits 140km/h fleeing from cops