Suspended learner driver Dean Obrien busted driving down highway at over 200 km/h

An L-plater with a suspended licence was arrested after police clocked him driving faster than 200 km/h on a holiday weekend.

A learner driver with a suspended licence was arrested after police clocked him speeding down the highway at over 200 km/h on Easter Saturday.

Dean Obrien, 24, appeared in Goulburn Local Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to driving recklessly in a dangerous manner and exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 45 km/hr.

The court heard the Canberra resident was driving along the Federal Highway near Collector on Easter Saturday at 1pm when police checked his speed at 137 km/hr in the 110 km/hr zone.

According to police facts, as police activated their warning signals and began to follow, Obrien switched lanes and undertook a number of cars before changing lanes again.

Dean Obrien was arrested after a police speed camera detected he was travelling at over 200 km/hr.

When police were able to get behind him, the court heard they clocked his speed at over 200 km/h, which Magistrate Geraldine Beattie pointed out is “very close to doubling the highway speed”.

He pulled over to the side of the road when he became aware of police following him, and the court heard he told them: “I’m sorry about that”.

He told police he was in “a big rush” to get to Sydney and see his sister, who he said was ill. His lawyer Andrew Hourigan said Obrien had received a call from his sister, who has mental health concerns, and dropped everything to drive there.

“He wasn’t thinking. He was speeding in an absolutely dangerous manner,” he said.

The court heard Obrien has a “tragic family past” with a sister who died after falling overboard on a cruise ship in “an alcohol incident”, a father who committed suicide, and a mother with alcohol issues.

“I accept you were extremely concerned about your sister,” Magistrate Beattie said.

“Put in the context of your other family tragedies, your concern would have been heightened.”

The Irish citizen moved to Australia in 2017, and has recently moved to Canberra. His learners licence was suspended due to an accumulation of “considerable fines”, which the court totalled thousands of dollars.

Mr Hourigan said the fines had accumulated while his client was visiting family in Ireland in 2019 and his housemates were using his car. He told the court Obrien realised he had to take responsibility for his actions and was paying off the fines.

“He is severely apologetic,” Mr Hourigan said.

Dean Obrien Goulburn Court House. Picture: Craig Dunlop

“Mr Obrien in all facets of his life seems to be doing well. When he has to deal with aspects of his life like his family and his sister, he doesn’t handle it well.”

Magistrate Beattie said Obrien had committed “very very serious driving offences” by driving at nearly double the speed limit on Easter Saturday when there was so much extra traffic on the highway.

“You had no thought whatsoever for anyone else’s safety that day,” she said.

Police facts stated the outcome could “have been catastrophic” for the community, an assessment with which the magistrate agreed.

She convicted Obrien and disqualified him from driving for two years “because of the severity of the matter” and his “atrocious driving record”. Magistrate Beattie also imposed an 18-month community corrections order and fined Obrien $1,800.