Liam Ky West on police pursuit, drink driving charges at Tweed Heads court

A police chase has ended in court after a 21-year-old panicked, speeding past the Tweed Heads Police Station after tearing up a park in a work van.

A 21-year-old Tweed Heads man who got into a police chase after drinking “mid-strength middies” and tearing up the Jack Evans Boat Harbour grass area with a work van has been sentenced.

Liam Ky West pleaded guilty to driving recklessly in a police pursuit, mid-range drink driving in a Tweed Heads Local Court, and was found guilty of possessing a prohibited weapon.

Police saw West “driving erratically” in the Jack Evans Boat Harbour memorial park at about 1.45am on July 16 before getting back onto Coral St, court documents revealed.

Police activated their sirens, and West accelerated to “well above the speed limit” on Coral St, onto Boundary Rd, according to police facts.

Officers chased West for three blocks, the court heard, and in his “panic” West drove past the Tweed Heads Police Station.

West reached 80kph in a 50kph zone during the chase, court documents said, driving “erratically and at high speed” on Wharf St before pulling over to a stop near the Florence Street intersection.

When officers approached West’s Toyota Townace panel van, they found him with “glazed eyes and a slight smell of intoxicating liquor on his breath”, court documents said.

A search of his vehicle uncovered a slingshot, which was seized for being a prohibited weapon in NSW, police facts stated.

West was arrested after returning a positive roadside breath test, and later recorded a reading of 0.145 in a breath analysis at Tweed Heads Police Station.

West told officers he drank five schooners of mid-strength beer between 9pm and 1am at the Coolangatta Hotel in Queensland, according to police facts.

He told police he panicked when police attempted to stop his vehicle and was “extremely apologetic and remorseful” for engaging in the pursuit.

West’s lawyer told the court his client had a supportive family who had helped him buy a property at the age of 21, adding he “hates to see” young men like West doing more than 50 hours of community service.

Magistrate Geoff Dunlevy acknowledged West’s behaviour was “very out of character”.

Mr Dunlevy warned West that he risked jail time for the short-lived police chase, but acknowledged the remorse shown by the accused immediately upon his arrest, and noted he had completed the traffic offenders rogram.

Mr Dunlevy said the matter of the slingshot was the arguably the most serious offence, because a prohibited weapon charge in NSW was indictable.

West was convicted of police pursuit – not stop – drive recklessly, and had his licence disqualified for 12 months. He was sentenced to a two-year community corrections order requiring 50 hours of community service.

West was convicted on the charge of drive with middle range PCA and was ordered to pay a $750 fine, and hold an interlock driver’s licence for the minimum period.

West was sentenced to a conditional release order for a period of 12 months, but without proceeding to conviction, after being found guilty of the charge of possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit.

His slingshot was forfeited to the Crown.