Dylan Anthony Hipkins sentenced over police pursuit and burnouts in unregistered, uninsured cars
A self-confessed ‘stupid’ suspended L-plater known by police for his ‘dark mullet’ did burnouts in Kincumber before leading police on a pursuit. Hear his sentence from court.
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A suspended L-plater has been convicted of 15 driving offences including a police pursuit and burnouts in unregistered, uninsured cars.
Dylan Anthony Hipkins, of North Gosford, appeared before Gosford Local Court to be sentenced on Wednesday before Magistrate Jennifer Price.
The 18-year-old was picked up not once, but twice, for a litany of driving offences within a month earlier this year. On the second occasion when asked why he was behind the wheel, he told police “because I’m stupid”.
Hipkins wasted no time pleading guilty to 14 driving offences at his first appearance in June, while he later pleaded guilty to an added charge of drive vehicle with illicit drug present in blood.
Charges include two counts of operate vehicle so driving wheels undergo loss of traction, police pursuit, negligent driving, drive motor vehicle while licence suspended and learner driver not accompanied.
Magistrate Price disqualified Hipkins from driving for two years and sentenced him to a two year community corrections order (CCO) along with 100 hours of community service work. Hipkins must also abstain from alcohol under the two year order and participate in rehabilitation/treatment.
However the sentence did not stop there with convictions for all 15 charges, a 12 month CCO and fines of $3900.
An agreed set of facts states police were patrolling Kincumber at 8.40pm on May 9 after multiple reports in recent days of a white Holden Statesman doing burnouts in the area.
Officers saw a white Statesman without a rear number plate leaving Kincumber Village Shopping Centre. As it turned left onto Bungoona Rd police saw it do a burnout causing “large plumes of smoke to fill the air”.
Police activated their lights and sirens to stop the car but it took off and a pursuit was initiated.
The facts state Hipkins sped off towards Avoca Drive reaching speeds of 118km/h in a 50km/h zone before losing control and skidding across the centre median strip.
Hipkins continued on to a unit complex on Kooronya Rd where he stopped at the end of a driveway.
“At 8.46pm on the same day a male with a dark mullet style haircut was observed to exit the driver’s seat and run from the vehicle, jumping the fence and entering bush at the rear of the units,” the facts state.
The police Dog Squad was called and Hipkins was arrested 15 minutes later where he made full admissions to being the driver.
Checks of the vehicle found it was “heavily defective” with four bald tires, no number plates, a loose battery and buckled rims. The car was unregistered and uninsured.
Police showed Hipkins dashcam footage of the Holden Statesman doing a burnout at Kincumber, which had been captured by a member of the public earlier in the day, and he admitted to being the driver at the time.
He was charged with nine offences and granted bail, with one of the conditions that he not occupy the driver’s seat of a vehicle.
A month later police were patrolling Railway Crescent at Lisarow at 8.20pm on June 3 when they saw a Ford Falcon turn in front of them and proceed to speed by 10km/h over the limit.
“When approaching the intersection with Excelsior St, the Ford was seen to veer left and attempt to take the corner at speed, the vehicle has left the roadway and mounted the grass verge and completely flattened a stop sign ripping it from the ground,” the facts state.
“The Ford then crossed a large drainage ditch back onto the roadway ripping the rear bumper bar from the vehicle before coming to a stop.”
Checks revealed the car was uninsured and unregistered and when officers approached, Hipkins was unable to produce a licence.
Asked why he was driving he replied “because I’m stupid” and acknowledged he knew the car was unregistered and had “faulty brakes”.
Hipkins also failed a roadside drug test for cannabis.
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