Jarred Short jailed for three police pursuits in 24 hours

A man has been sentenced for three police pursuits in 24 hours. He will miss the birth of his child but he has been granted him a Christmas present.

Woonona man Jarred Short said he “needs” to get his face tattoo removed. Picture: Facebook

A “habitual traffic offender” will miss the birth of his child after being sentenced to 16 months in jail for three ”extremely dangerous” police pursuits in 24 hours earlier this year.

Jarred Short appeared via video link in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday from Parklea Correctional Centre, adhering to his previous guilty pleas to three counts of police pursuit and three counts of driving while disqualified.

The Woonona man was banned from driving until May, 2023, and had just over a month remaining on his parole for previous offending which also included a police pursuit.

The court documents detail the 31-year-old soon to be father fanging a blue Holden Commodore twife, in North Wollongong and Bellambi, in the days leading up to the three pursuits.

They opted not to pursue him in those instances because of safety concerns.Police sighted Short in the same car 11 days later in Bellambi.

They recognised his “distinct tattoo about his right eye” before he reversed and sped onto the incorrect side of the road with police opting to pursue him.

At 1.15am on Saturday, April 16, police noticed the Commodore in Woonona and chased after it.

They terminated it a short time later because of Short’s manner of the driving.

Jarred Short was suspended from driving until May, 2023. Picture: Facebook

The court documents detail the 31-year-old soon to be father fanging a blue Holden Commodore twife, in North Wollongong and Bellambi, in the days leading up to the three pursuits.

They opted not to pursue him in those instances because of safety concerns.

Police sighted Short in the same car 11 days later in Bellambi.

They recognised his “distinct tattoo about his right eye” before he reversed and sped onto the incorrect side of the road with police opting to pursue him.

At 1.15am on Saturday, April 16, police noticed the Commodore in Woonona and chased after it. They terminated it a short time later de cause of Short’s manner of the driving.

The court documents said shortly after 10pm that night, police picked up the vehicle, again in Woonona, before a short pursuit also terminated after Short drove onto the other side of the road, forcing a number of cars to brake and swerve to avoid a collision.

Two hours later officers crossed paths with the car on the Princes Hwy at Unanderra where they began another pursuit.

Short raced onto the wrong side of the M1, with Triple-0 receiving multiple calls of a vehicle driving up Mt Ousley into oncoming traffic.

Polair sighted the vehicle on a footpath near Woonona Beach before it headed back north up Bulli Pass and into the township of Appin.

The court documents said Short reached speeds along the notorious Appin Rd of “no less than” 160km/h in an 80km/h zone.

Short was able to evade two road spikes by traversing onto the shoulder of the opposite side of the road, with police terminating the pursuit once more because of the extreme danger posed.

However, officers managed to catch up to Short in Ambervale in south-western Sydney where he and another male, who exited from the passenger side, fled into the bush before entering the rear of a property on Parkside Cres, Campbelltown.

Jarred Short appeared via video link in Wollongong Local Court from Parklea Correctional Centre.

When police tracked down Short they seized a black backpack containing a small axe and knives.

On Wednesday, the court heard Short was at risk of becoming institutionalised and he was also expecting the birth of his child with his partner of six years on Thursday.

Magistrate Claire Girotto told him he would be at the birth if he “hadn‘t done this“ and that he ”needed to be there” for his child in the future.

Short was sentenced to 16 months in jail with a non-parole period of seven months.

With time already served, Short will be eligible for parole on December 23.

“You will be able to have Christmas with your family,” Ms Girotto said.

“Don‘t blow it. I hope I don’t see you in here again, I’ll recognise you from your tattoo.”

Short thanked the magistrate and commented “Yeah, I need to get it removed”.