Joshua Cooper sentenced in Port Macquarie court for dangerous driving

A teen was drink driving and “showing off” to a crowd of young people - only narrowly avoiding smashing into them - moments before crashing his car in a regional town.

Port Macquarie Court House.

A Port Macquarie teen who was drink driving and crashed after doing a burnout on a busy town street as “scores of young people” watched on has been sentenced.

Joshua Cooper was in Port Macquarie Local Court on Wednesday, November 23, charged with driving recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous; refusing or failing to provide an oral fluid sample; possess prohibited drug; having custody of a knife in a public place; driving a motor vehicle while licence suspended; and driving with middle range concentration of alcohol.

He pleaded guilty following the incident along Lord Street in the Port Macquarie CBD on the evening of October 20.

Cooper had turned 18 just four months prior to the incident.

Magistrate Darcy sympathised with the stress placed on Cooper’s mother, witnessing him in court but said it could have been much worse.

“You could be visiting him in jail, or worse, you could be visiting your son’s grave site.”

Joshua Cooper walks into Port Macquarie Local Court on November 23.

She told the court that Cooper had shown “an appalling disregard to the safety of others” and it was simply “good fortune” that nobody had been seriously injured.

Ms Darcy told the court Cooper was showing off as “scores of young people” watched him doing a burnout along Lord Street and that he “came close to colliding with those young people”.

Cooper, who was over two times the limit at the time, lost control and crashed and the wreckage was a shocking reminder to passers by the next day on the busy street, including Cooper’s lawyer Douglas Hannaway.

“Yes your honour the car had significant damage - I remember seeing it near my office.”

In sentencing Cooper she warned that many of the charges he was facing “carry a sentence of prison as an available option”.

For driving recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous he was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order and directed to perform 80 hours of community service work and disqualified from driving for two years.

For refusing or failing to provide an oral fluid sample he was convicted and fined $400.

In relation to the charges of possessing a prohibited drug and having custody of a knife in a public place he was found guilty but no conviction recorded.

For driving while his licence was suspended he was convicted and fined $400 and for driving with a middle range concentration of alcohol Cooper was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order.