‘Your family will be the ones who suffer’: Prison threat for Logan hoon

A young Logan father has been warned to ‘buckle up’ and adhere to the law after a second burn out charge saw him threatened with a prison sentence.

A convicted hoon was threatened with prison at the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where he was sentenced for doing loud, smokey burnouts in Logan.

Liam Burrowes, 25, pleaded guilty to wilfully making unnecessary noise or smoke with a vehicle, driving unregistered and uninsured and driving on a suspended driver’s license.

The court heard several residents of Boronia Heights called police to complain of a ute doing burnouts at around 10pm on October 23, 2020.

Polair was called to the scene and tracked a dark Ford ute creating “substantial plumes of smoke” and marks on the road, near Coronation Dr.

According to senior constable Ian Adams, the ute was seen to pull into a nearby home and police officers attended shortly thereafter.

William Burrowes was serving a suspended prison sentence when he was caught doing burnouts at Boronia Heights, a court has heard.

The officers noted the ute, which was parked in the driveway, smelled of burning rubber and its bonnet was hot to the touch.

“The defendant initially denied driving the vehicle and said he was at soccer at the time,” Cst Adams said.

“After further questioning he made admissions to doing ‘just a little one’.”

The ute’s registration had expired in 2018.

Acting Magistrate Ronald Kilner noted it was the second time Burrowes had come before the courts on a burnout charge.

“At it again!” Magistrate Kilner said.

“This time in a residential area, disturbing the peace and harmony of others for your own selfish ambitions and self gratification.

“That sort of nonsense has to stop.”

Defence lawyer Blake Fraser of Fraser Lawyers told the court his client was a young father, who had recently started a carpentry apprenticeship and was remorseful for his behaviour.

Burrowes was serving a suspended prison sentence at the time of the offending.

“Your history is nothing short of appalling, you demonstrate no regard for other road users or yourself,” Magistrate Kilner said.

“If you’d like to spend time in jail I can send you there today, but if you want to stay out of jail you need to learn to buckle under and apply the laws of the road.

“Your family will be the ones who suffer if you end up inside.”

For the charge of driving uninsured, Burrowes was given a $400 fine with a default of 16 days in prison.

For driving unregistered, unlicensed and wilfully making noise and smoke, Burrowes was fined a further $1000 with a default of 40 days in prison, with 12 months to pay.

He was disqualified from driving for nine months.

Convictions were recorded and the car was impounded and will be forfeited.