Jack Holton-Palmer: Coutts Crossing man pleads guilty to string of charges after high-speed police pursuit
A Clarence man hit speeds of more than 175km/h, drove on the wrong side of the road and narrowly dodged trucks while evading police before he was tracked down in the bush. Here’s the latest.
Grafton
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A Clarence man who led police on a dangerous pursuit may have briefly thought he had dodged the law when he managed to hide for hours in thick bush near a blueberry farm.
But Jack Holton-Palmer’s short-lived escape came undone when he was spotted by NSW Police POLAIR helicopter slumped under a tree.
The 29-year-old Coutts Crossing man appeared via video videolink at Grafton Local Court on Monday.
Holton-Palmer pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamines and two counts each of police pursuit, driving dangerously and disqualified driving.
He was already on a community corrections order (CCO) for driving while disqualified at the time of offending.
Police spotted Holton-Palmer’s vehicle crossing an intersection at Villiers St, Grafton at 8.24pm on August 19.
The chase was on and Holton-Palmer sped straight through a number of red traffic lights as he made his way out of the city, police state in court documents.
He travelled north on the Big River Way, faster than 160km/h at some points.
Holton-Palmer overtook a number of cars by crossing double lines.
Police were forced to terminate the road chase and assistance was sought from the POLAIR chopper
The aircraft tracked Holton-Palmer down a series of rural roads and at one point he came to a stop on Wants Lane, Lavadia, adjacent to Clarence Valley Correctional Centre.
After a brief pause, Holton-Palmer was soon manoeuvring around road spikes, reaching speeds in excess of 175km/h in a 100km/h zone while travelling southbound on the northbound lanes of the Pacific Highway.
“(He) maintained his speed when entering the northbound lanes, travelling against the flow of traffic, narrowly missing a motor vehicle travelling in the opposite direction,” the documents state.
“Numerous other vehicles, including semi-trailers, could be seen trying to avoid colliding with (Holton-Palmer)”.
Police state: “Should a collision have occurred, (it’s) certain fatalities would have been recorded.”
Holton-Palmer turned onto Kungala Rd, Kungala, proceeding onto the dirt Gilberts Rd and crashed in a ditch near a blueberry farm.
Holton-Palmer “fled the area through bushland on foot” and evaded police for about three hours.
The police helicopter used infra-red vision to locate a “heat source” – Holton-Palmer.
“POLAIR 8 guided police on the ground into the area where the heat source was being observed,” the documents state.
Police found Holton-Palmer “slumped under the trunk of a large tree that had fallen to the ground”.
The case was adjourned for sentencing and Holton-Palmer did not apply for bail.
He is due to face court again on November 6.
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