Newport tradie Rochford Cook caught driving drunk at 165km/h in a 70km/h zone
Rochford Cook, 24, was driving drunk from Newport to Narrabeen when he hit 165km/h trying escape the police - now he’ll have to stay off the drink for a year, and the roads for two.
Manly
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A drunk P-plate driver who hit speeds of up to 165km/h during a police chase has had his licence taken off him for two years.
Rochford Cook, 25, of Newport, who had 10 beers under his belt, sped away from police after they tried to pull him over for a random breath test at Mona Vale on Australia Day.
Cook, an apprentice carpenter, told police he had been drinking for seven hours at the Newport hotel and at his home before he got behind the wheel of his Holden ute at about 1.40am to visit his girlfriend at Narrabeen.
Manly Local Court heard on Wednesday that Cook was heading south on Pittwater Rd when he ignored a police officer holding a “Stop Police” sign at a RBT site.
A police facts sheet tendered to court said after Cook saw the police he “accelerated harshly” and “increased his speed rapidly” before a Highway Patrol car began chasing him.
Police said Cook’s ute reached speeds of between 155-165km/h in a 70km/h zone along Pittwater Rd.
Officers lost sight of the car, but when Cook, who was on his red P plates, turned left into Hunter St, Warriewood, the ute struck a raised concrete median.
Police saw him several minutes later walking along Narrabeen Park Pde, about 80m away from the stricken ute.
They found the keys to the ute down the front of Cook’s underpants.
He told police that he had the first of 10 full-strength beers at 6pm on January 25 and the last at 1am.
Cook was breath-tested and blew 0.09.
Police also found 2.1 grams of cannabis in his possession.
Cook pleaded guilty to one count each of mid-range drink driving, fail to comply with request or signal to stop vehicle, drive recklessly/furiously or speed manner dangerous and, possession of a prohibited drug.
The court heard that Cook had two previous convictions for drink driving — he lost his licence for three years in 2014.
His solicitor told Magistrate Michelle Goodwin that Cook had a “pattern of binge drinking” and “made poor decisions after the consumption of alcohol”.
Ms Goodwin banned Cook from driving for two years for the drive recklessly charge and placed him on a nine-month Intensive Correction Order for the drink driving matter.
Cook was fined $200 for failing to stop at the RBT site and placed on a 12-month Community Correction Order for possessing the cannabis.
He must also keep away from alcohol and drugs for 12 months.