Shannon Michael Galea pleads guilty to dangerous driving at South Mackay

A motorcyclist who rode dangerously on a busy street after a festival and told arresting police officers they were ‘f---ing p--sies’ must now pay up. DETAILS

A Mackay motorcyclist has been fined $10,000 and disqualified from driving for three years.

A ‘disgusting’ motorcyclist who rode dangerously on a busy Mackay street after a major event must now pay a $10,000 fine.

Shannon Michael Galea has already been banned from holding a licence for three years after Magistrate Damien Dwyer told him he had been considering a jail term with actual custody.

The 36 year old overtook an unmarked police car as it was pulling onto Juliet St from Harrup Park Country Club after the Legends on the Lawn concert about 9.50pm on May 20, 2023.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard he was not wearing a helmet, although his female pillion passenger was.

As police tried to intercept the motorbike, it “increased speed and failed to stop” swerving onto the wrong side of the road and causing another driver to take evasive action “to avoid a collision with the bike”, prosecutor Senior Sergeant Hannah Beaumont said.

The court heard there was heavy foot traffic including young children crossing the dark street.

At 10.15pm police knocked on Galea’s home. No one answered so they entered the yard and saw a man and woman inside.

Galea told officers to leave because they were trespassing.

Senior Sergeant Beaumont said as officers went to arrest Galea he pushed back by “tensing his arms and locking his hands together preventing police from applying handcuffs”.

The court heard he tried to kick back at police and called the officers “f--king p--sies” before he was eventually restrained and taken to the police station where he refused to partake in a breath test.

Galea pleaded guilty to a number of charges including dangerous driving and evasion.

The court heard Galea, who went to St Patrick’s College and was a qualified diesel fitter, was a working and contributing member of the Mackay community.

Mr Dwyer said the offending was “not your run of the mill dangerous driving or your run of the mill evasion” and questioned why he should not spend 50 days in jail.

Under state law anyone convicted of evasion must pay a $7700 fine or spend 50 days in jail.

The court heard the offending was out of character for Galea and a conviction could impact his blue card.

“My client can’t explain why it happened on the night,” defence lawyer Rob Beamish, of McKay’s Solicitors, said.

“It’s out of character, he slipped up.”

Mr Dwyer said Galea’s behaviour was “absolutely atrocious and disgusting”.

“I gave strong strong consideration of sending you to prison for that evasion offence, the only reason I’m not is because you don’t have a serious … history. You do now,” Mr Dwyer said.

Galea was fined $10,000 and disqualified from driving for three years. Convictions were not recorded.