Man, 28, sentenced after driving his car directly at police officers
Two police officers are lucky to be alive after a 28-year-old man drove a car at speed directly at them. It came after he was clocked doing 150kmh in a 60 zone.
Moreton
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A MAGISTRATE has spared no leniency for a 28-year-old man with an intellectual disability who drove his car at speed towards police in a terrifying incident earlier this year – it was just one of 26 offences he committed.
Magistrate Bucknall described the behaviour as “appalling” while sentencing Rhys Brodie Danial Kenyon, who appeared via video link from prison, in Redcliffe Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Kenyon had previously been arraigned, pleading guilty to all 26 charges, on June 15.
The majority of the offences including multiple unlawful use of motor vehicles, disqualified driving, stealing, evading police, fraud and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, were committed in January.
Magistrate Bucknall said the dangerous operation of the vehicle charge was the most serious offence.
The court heard that at 2.23am on January 13, 2020, police observed a car travelling at about 150km/h along Anzac Ave, Kippa-Ring – almost three times the 60km/h speed limit.
Police did a U-turn in an attempt to intercept the vehicle but were unable to due to the speed the offender was travelling at.
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At 2.30am two officers, in a marked vehicle, spotted the car at Dalton St, Kippa-Ring.
The driver accelerated towards the officers, hit the kerb, mounted the nature strip and entered the wrong side of the road.
Kenyon continued to drive, at speed, at the police car.
The officers took evasive action to avoid being hit.
“It could have resulted in the death or grievous bodily harm of two police officers had they not taken evasive action,” Magistrate Bucknall said.
“It is deplorable behaviour.
“This bloke is going to kill someone.”
Solicitor Farah Haddad told the court his client, Kenyon, had an IQ of 50-60, an intellectual disability and fragile mental health.
He made submissions that a lengthy term of imprisonment would not help his client and instead asked Magistrate Bucknall to consider alternate sentencing options such as probation.
Magistrate Bucknall said due to Kenyon’s six page history of “horrendous offending” and the nature of the dangerous operation of a vehicle charge probation was not a suitable option.
“We can take into account the impairments he has but there needs to be a pretty clear message that if you choose to deliberately drive at police officers you can probably expect to spend a bit of time in jail,” Magistrate Bucknall said.
“With his atrocious history, even more so.”
Kenyon was sentenced to 18 months jail for the dangerous operation of a vehicle and will be eligible for parole on September 3, 2020, due to already spending 114 days behind bars.