Serial traffic offender Reiley Amos jailed in Coffs court for stealing, crashing car on highway

Repeat offender with “extraordinary” traffic history tells court he thought his girlfriend was in labour when he stole and crashed a car.

A mug shot of Coffs Harbour man Reiley Jay Amos published on social media by NSW Police Force in 2019.

A repeat traffic offender with an "extraordinary" rap sheet has told a court that he thought his girlfriend was in labour when he stole and crashed a car on the Pacific Highway earlier this year.

Reiley Jay Amos appeared on screen at Coffs Harbour Local Court on Monday from Clarence Correctional Centre, where he had been remanded since his arrest.

The court heard that on January 21 police responded to reports of a car accident on the highway in Coffs Harbour, and became aware that the car involved had been stolen the previous day.

A witness at the scene who called Triple 0 said Amos had become "aggressive" towards them and walked away from the scene.

Police then found the 31-year-old further down the street and discovered his licence had been disqualified until 2025 due to a series of previous traffic-related convictions.

Magistrate Ian Rodgers said that within just three years, Amos had been convicted for an "extraordinary" number of offences.

In 2019 Amos was arrested in Sapphire Beach after he crashed a stolen car into a police dog unit van while trying to evade his arrest, injuring an officer.

Coffs Harbour man Reiley Jay Amos was arrested in 2019 after crashing a car into a dog unit van while attempting to evade police. He was later convicted and charged. Photo from NSW Police Force.

 

Coffs Clarence Detective Acting Inspector Peter O'Reilly told the media at the time that Amos, then 29, was wanted by the police for break and enter offences and a number of people had reported seeing him in the Sapphire Beach area.

Amos had been using the name of an Australian soldier he knew in his teenage years as an alias in attempt to avoid police.

He was later convicted and sentenced to a five month non-parole period on a number of charges including drive while disqualified, police pursuit, break and enter and drive recklessly.

Magistrate Rodgers said Amos was released on parole in March 2020 when he committed a series of similar offences, and was back behind bars again with a six month non-parole period.

He was then released on parole and placed on a Community Corrections Order in November last year, before the fresh offences took place in January.

Coffs Harbour man Reiley Jay Amos is back behind bars for taking and crashing a car on the highway. Photo from Facebook.

 

"Clearly, it's been an incredibly unstable period of time for him," Magistrate Rodgers said.

The defence told the court that Amos had said he'd taken the car in a panic as he thought his girlfriend was going into labour, and had intended to give it back.

Amos was however arrested some weeks before his son's birth.

"He missed the birth of his son as a result of being in custody," the defence said.

"That has had a big impact on him considering he was raised without a father or a father figure in his life, and he doesn't wish this for his son."

The court heard Amos had a troubled childhood and was exposed to drugs and alcohol at a young age. He became homeless at the age of 13, living at the Jetty Bunker Youth service or couch surfing.

The defence urged Magistrate Rodgers not to impose a jail sentence, saying his experiences reduced his moral culpability.

"He's hopeful the birth of his son will lead to some stability in his life, and he doesn't want jail to be that stability," they said.

Magistrate Rodgers however said that due to his history, there "could be no other sentence."

Amos was convicted and jailed for 14 months with a non-parole period of eight months on charges of driving while disqualified and take and drive conveyance without consent of owner. He will be eligible for parole in September.

Originally published as Serial traffic offender Reiley Amos jailed in Coffs court for stealing, crashing car on highway