Matthew William Economidis pleads guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle, evading police
A man who nearly crashed into a four-wheel drive while trying to escape police on a stolen moped has faced Maroochydore Magistrates Court.
Police & Courts
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A man who evaded police on a stolen moped while reaching speeds of 50km/hr on the backstreets of Caboolture has been sentenced to jail.
Matthew William Economidis, 34, pleaded guilty in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on July 1, 2022, to dangerous driving, two counts of evading police, two counts of driving without a licence and possessing drugs and a knife in a public place.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Stephens said about 11.15am on April 5, 2022, police noticed Economidis driving a stolen moped erratically on Moon St, Caboolture.
Sergeant Stephens said as police pursued Economidis he rode on the wrong side of the road in an effort to escape.
“He’s fallen off the moped, he’s put it down in a way to avoid a collision of a passing four wheel drive towing a trailer, which has just missed the defendant as he fell,” Sergeant Stephens said.
“He got off the ground and got the moped going again.
“At first blush when a court hears it’s a moped, it almost lessens the offending conduct but it was quite dangerous.
“It’s perhaps dumb luck that Mr Economidis didn’t injure if not kill himself, it certainly was a danger to other motor vehicle users.”
The court heard Economidis was later arrested on April 8, 2022, in Tewantin after members of the public alerted police to a man trying to start the same moped with a screwdriver.
Economidis’ solicitor Ben Rynderman said his client, who was on parole at the time of the offending, had been trying to turn his life around.
Magistrate Rod Madsen said Economidis was “very lucky he didn’t hurt himself”.
“You’re incredibly fortunate you didn’t kill yourself, it’s a very large vehicle and you were almost under it,” Mr Madsen said referring to the four wheel drive that Economidis almost struck while trying to evade police.
“It was not going to end well for you if you ended up under it.”
Economidis was given a head sentence of 18 months, fined $150 and disqualified from driving for two years.
He will be eligible for parole on August 8, 2022.
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