Sharna Hillhouse sentenced for police pursuit near public school
A mother-of-one sped off from police before crashing into a taxi near a school claiming she was threatened with her life.
Macarthur
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Sharna Hillhouse, 21, agreed to pick up an acquaintance from the pub following an afternoon session on March 11, before she was pulled over by police.
The court heard during a hearing in Campbelltown Court, that police officers stopped Hillhouse for a random breath check at Blake Place in Eagle Vale.
When she handed over her licence, one of the officers stated that Hillhouse didn’t look the same as her photo ID and would need to make further checks.
The other police officer had started to question Hillhouse’s passengers when after around 40 seconds she sped off.
A police pursuit was started and it’s estimated she was travelling at around 70km/h in a 60km/h zone.
After a short period, police called off the pursuit as they neared a 40km/h school zone outside of Claymore Public School on Dobell Road.
The court heard Hillhouse continued through a roundabout before losing control on a speed hump and crashed into a taxi.
Both Hillhouse and her passenger were taken into custody.
She was charged with one count each of police pursuit and drive recklessly in a dangerous manner.
In giving evidence, Hillhouse told the court that friends previously had said that the man she’d picked up from the pub could be violent.
Hillhouse said the passenger told her that he was a ‘wanted man’ and that “if you don’t drive this car right now I’m going to burn your house down and then I’m going to bash you.”
Her lawyer argued that Hillhouse was under duress and experiencing a panic attack at the time and therefore was not responsible for the actions that followed.
Magistrate Shane McAnulty said Hillhouse had three clear opportunities to tell police if she was being threatened when she was pulled over and later at the police station, but she chose not to.
He also found there was no evidence to suggest that her passenger had any violent tendencies and that he had warrants out for his arrest on a robbery matter.
Hillhouse was found guilty and sentenced to a 12-month Community Corrections Order.
She was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.