Drunk driver Patrick Hargreaves rammed cars on Pacific Highway

A disqualified driver who was more than five times the legal limit has been banned from driving for 18 years after “extremely dangerous” antics on a Queensland highway, where he rammed cars and ignored desperate pleas to stop.

Patrick Hargreaves, 41, had a blood-alcohol content reading of .239 when police finally caught up with on June 22, 2021, at Palm Beach after he fled the golden Honda Accord he had driven through congested southbound traffic on the Pacific Highway while his long-term partner was in the car.

A drunk driver who drove “extremely dangerously” on a Queensland highway, ramming cars and attempting to force drivers off the road while he had a firearm on the front seat, has been banned from driving for almost two decades.

The man, who has a nine-page traffic record, was already disqualified from driving as he sped through roadworks, overtook motorists on a ramp and drove erratically, causing others to break heavily.

Patrick Hargreaves had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.239 when police finally caught up with him at Palm Beach on June 22, 2021, after he fled in the golden Honda Accord he had driven through congested southbound traffic on the Pacific Highway.

The man’s long-term partner was in the vehicle, and a gas-propelled handgun sat on the front seat.

Hargreaves, who moved to Central Queensland while on bail without telling authorities, also carried out multiple fuel drive-offs and other traffic offences, including driving with incorrect plates in Rockhampton and Gladstone.

Police prosecutor Mirren Smith said motorists alerted Gold Coast police about 2.30pm of Hargreaves driving “extremely dangerously”, reporting he’d “forced other cars out of the way and attempted to run people off the road”.

Patrick Hargreaves, 41.

Ms Smith said Hargreaves drove at 95km/h through a 80 zone of the highway trucks were using to get to a worksite, splitting the traffic down the middle of two lanes, “causing vehicles to swerve abruptly out of its way”.

Police activated lights and sirens but Hargreaves again rammed between two lanes of traffic, colliding with a car driven by a 66-year-old man.

He then collided with a VW Golf driven by a 17-year-old who had a teenage passenger.

Ms Smith said the vehicle was eventually intercepted, with Hargreaves’ long-term partner now at the wheel.

The woman told police Hargreaves, who ran off after being stopped, was driving and she had begged him to pull over when police tried to intercept them.

Hargreaves pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on Friday to 31 charges, including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle while intoxicated, eight disqualified driving offences, drink driving, fraud, stealing, and other traffic offences.

Defence lawyer David Mills said Hargreaves, who had been with his partner for nine years and had two children with her, worked as a shop outfitter.

He said his client had bipolar disorder and struggled with alcohol despite completing an in-house rehabilitation program.

Hargreaves was sentenced to three years’ jail and disqualified from driving for a total of 18 years.

He had 72 days pre-sentence custody declared as time served, and his parole release date was set for November 23, 2023.