Nathaniel James Stevenson faced Bowen Magistrates Court charged with dangerous operation of a motorbike

A motorbike rider with a poor record for “a young person who wants to stay alive” has been lashed for his latest speeding offence which nearly caused a serious crash.

Nathaniel James Stevenson faced Bowen Magistrates Court charged with dangerous operation.

A young motorbike rider with a history of speeding offences has once again put himself and other road users at serious risk with his reckless riding.

Nathaniel James Stevenson faced Bowen Magistrates Court on Tuesday, pleading guilty to dangerous operation of a motorbike after a scary incident on a Bowen Road.

The court heard that at about 9.15am on 17 July, Stevenson was stopped by police while riding his motorbike in Bowen.

As police were speaking with Stevenson two separate members of the public approached, telling them he had nearly caused a crash while overtaking on Queens Road.

Dashcam footage showed Stevenson overtaking a witness at high speed, narrowly missing a vehicle coming in the opposite direction.

It was estimated Stevenson was travelling between 136km per hour and 144km per hour, well over the posted speed limits.

The 21-year-old told police there was no excuse and he was very much in the wrong.

Magistrate Anna Smith said after looking at images from the dashcam she thought Stevenson was lucky to be alive.

“Anyone makes any mistakes, he’s dead, or someone else,” she said.

Cleo Rewald from Richards Rewald Lawyers appeared as duty lawyer and said Stevenson had a passion for motorbikes and he appreciated the risk they could pose.

“It was just a stupid, stupid, spur of the moment decision,” she said.

Magistrate Smith disagreed, saying he didn’t really appreciate the risk otherwise he would not have committed the offence.

She noted Stevenson also had a number of speeding charges since 2021.

“Certainly not a great traffic history for a young person who wants to stay alive,” Magistrate Smith said.

Stevenson received a $2000 fine and was disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence for eight months.

A conviction was not recorded.