Joseph Kaci charged with drive while disqualified, police pursuit
A pastor’s son narrowly escaped the Raptor Squad by hiding in a nearby car park in a wild police chase through south west Sydney.
Liverpool
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A pastor’s son narrowly escaped the Raptor Squad by hiding in a nearby car park in a wild police chase through southwest Sydney, a court has heard.
Joseph Kaci, 26, appeared before Liverpool Local Court via audio visual link and pleaded guilty to the charges of not stopping at a stop sign, overtaking to the left of a vehicle, not stopping a vehicle when directed and police pursuit.
He was also charged with unlawful entry on inclosed lands and two counts of driving while disqualified after police attached to the Raptor Squad noticed Kaci’ driving an Audi along Bristol St in Merrylands on July 5.
Agreed facts state police attempted to catch up with Kaci after they were notified the car had previously been involved in a police pursuit.
“Police observed the Audi pass a vehicle stopped at an intersection on the left hand side and continued through the intersection … and accelerated harshly away,” the facts state.
“Upon seeing this it became evident that the Audi was making attempts to avoid police as it continued at speed.”
Kaci was “undertaking and overtaking on the wrong side of the road” and “continued at speed and driving in a dangerous manner” before police called off the pursuit as the distance between the two vehicles grew.
“Police conducted several patrols of the surrounding location and were unable to locate the Audi,” facts state.
Raptor Squad police spoke with the owner of the Audi who said Kaci had borrowed her car and “did not wish to report the vehicle as stolen”.
Later that day police attended a business in Smithfield after reports of a suspicious vehicle being parked in the secure car park of the location.
“Police were informed that the witness had observed two males unknown to him drive the car into the carpark before leaving,” the facts state.
CCTV footage showed Kaci speaking to someone over the communications box before he reversed the car into the carpark and left 20 minutes later.
The vehicle was towed to a secure police holding yard where DNA testing linked Kaci to the Audi and he was arrested on November 14.
Kaci’s lawyer Mr Chidiac, said his client works as a sweeper in prison and is “trying to turn his life around”.
“He wants to be a productive member of society,” he said.
The prosecution argued Kaci has a “blatant lack of compliance” with previous court orders and “direction to occupy a drivers licence”.
Magistrate Cathy Tawagi convicted Kaci and sentenced him to an aggregate term of imprisonment of 10 months with a non-parole period of five months for driving while disqualified and police pursuit.
He was ordered to pay a total fine of $1,320 for not stopping at a stop sign, overtaking top left of a vehicle and not stopping a vehicle when directed to do so. No penalty was imposed for entering inclosed land.
Ms Tawagi also revoked a previous community corrections order that was granted in June for a previous driving while disqualified offence.
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