Chaise Harley Cougar Conroy sentenced in Warwick court over ‘idiotic’ hooning

NAMED: A repeat offender has been warned he only avoided time behind bars by the ‘sheer good luck’ he did not hurt himself or anyone else in his latest hooning incident, which unfolded with onlookers only metres from his vehicle.

A Warwick man has copped a scathing blast from the magistrate after facing court for his latest hooning offence, being warned he had only avoided jail time by “sheer good luck” and needed to change his ways before he and his “like-minded idiots” hurt themselves or someone else.

Chaise Harley Cougar Conroy was one of about 50 people busted taking part in an organised hooning event in an industrial estate in Darra at the early hours of the morning of January 30.

Warwick Magistrates Court was told the 23-year-old performed a burnout that lasted just over 20 seconds in an area that had no safety barriers or equipment, with spectators spotted watching from a walkway right near Conroy’s vehicle.

The Warwick man initially denied any hooning and failed to complete a statutory declaration in relation to the event by February 26.

It was not Conroy’s first brush with the law for reckless driving, with criminal and traffic histories featuring previous offences including dangerous operation of a vehicle and driving defective or unsafe vehicles.

Defence lawyer Clare Hine told the court her client had previously worked as a mechanic and was now in a new role that required him to travel across much of the country, and said Conroy was verging on having to serve time behind bars due to his history.

“(The event) is, I understand, well-known by police and people attend for the sole purpose of either hooning or watching hooning,” she said.

“It was 1am, there was no through traffic and it wasn’t in a business district, but of course it doesn’t have any safety barriers.”

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess said it was this potential risk to public safety that was one of the most concerning elements of Conroy’s offending, which she labelled “idiotic and inherently dangerous” to all those involved, regardless of their voluntary participation.

“You’re lucky you didn’t, on this occasion, end up injuring somebody or yourself, or significantly damaging property,” she said.

“Somebody’s got to come along afterwards and clean up after you and your 50 like-minded idiots have been and gone.

“It’s not acceptable behaviour by any means, Mr Conroy, and quite frankly if you don’t get an imprisonment order today, it’s just by sheer good luck that you didn’t injure somebody or do some damage to others.”

Ms Sturgess told Conroy that appearing before the court for the same offence that he committed when he was 18 made it clear he needed to grow up before his conduct derailed his own or another person’s life.

“If you really think that you’re such a great precision stunt driver, then go and join up with some driving club and do it at the proper place at the proper time and under proper supervision, not out there on streets and endangering other people,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter if (people) are there willingly – if you kill or injure someone due to your dangerous manner of driving, you need to take the consequences of that.”

Conroy pleaded guilty to one count each of dangerous operation of a vehicle and failing to complete a statutory declaration.

He was fined $1800 and disqualified from driving for six months.