Jessie Kelly: Driver in Ryde police pursuit sentenced to jail term
A disqualified driver who slammed head-on into a police car and injured two officers has been sentenced to jail. The magistrate also lashed out at the young man, telling him he had ‘made a bit of a mess’ of his life.
Northern District Times
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A disqualified P-plate driver who slammed head-on into a police car injuring two officers has been sentenced to 30 months in jail.
Jessie George Ehan Kelly, 23, from Hurstville, faced court with 12 charges including driving recklessly without stopping in a police pursuit, driving furiously causing bodily harm, driving a motor vehicle when disqualified, possessing a knife in a public place and possessing counterfeit money.
On 14 June 2019, Kelly who worked as a refrigeration mechanic and part time movie extra making between $700 and $1000 a week had been in a dangerous police pursuit just before midnight in East Ryde.
Kelly who had his P1 provisional license disqualified until October that year had been driving a Black Holden Commodore on Lane Cove Rd in Ryde.
Officers travelling south saw the vehicle travelling “at speed” which then pulled away from the police car before police activated lights and sirens, according to court documents.
The pursuit continued from Curzon St to Pittwater Rd in Hunters Hill at a constant speed and in an “erratic manner” and making “sharp turns” without failing to stop until the car ended up in a dead end where it came to a stop.
Police stopped their car and Constable Campbell approached the passenger side of the vehicle screaming for the driver to stop before striking the front passenger window causing it to “break completely.”
Kelly then engaged the forward gear and made a hard left almost striking the constable causing him to jump from the car’s path, according to police fact sheets.
The vehicle then went up a grass hill and around the parked police car before driving off.
A second police car came to assist and had been travelling north on Pittwater Rd while Kelly’s car had been driving on the incorrect side of the road before both vehicles smashed in a head on collision.
Kelly then left the car and ran into nearby bushland while the two officers suffered injuries, the driver had a broken wrist while the officer in the passenger seat had bruising and soft tissue damage.
Polair and a dog unit later arrived to search for Kelly who was tracked the following evening where he was arrested and taken to St George police.
He was found with 0.25g of a clear crystal substance in his wallet which police alleged was methylamphetamine.
The car was searched where six $50 Australian counterfeit currency notes were found and a box cutter knife. The registration plate of the car was tracked, and the vehicle had been reportedly lost by the owner some time before, according to police facts.
Kelly appeared via AVL wearing a long green sweater and had his hands tightly clasped in front as he waited for his sentence at Burwood Local Court on Friday.
His lawyer Terrence Healey told the court Kelly had a “multiracial background” with Aboriginal decent on his father’s side and Maori from his maternal end.
Mr Healey told the court Kelly was a “bright boy” who was “remorseful” of his actions.
When his lawyer said the defendant was aware that if he made any breaches, he understood he would be in custody for a long time and was willing to undertake community service, the magistrate interjected saying “Mr Healey these are serious offences.
Magistrate Alison Viney told the court, “There is no other option than a custodial sentence.”
She said in terms of charges 1 and 3 (driving recklessly in a police pursuit and driving furiously causing bodily harm) they were at the “upper end of the scale” in terms of seriousness.
While the magistrate said she could take into account his age and background, she said his charges required more than his ten months that he’s already served in custody.
“He acknowledges that…He understands he may have caused serious injuries to other persons and even death,” Mr Healey told the court.
“This is an awakening and I think that’s a good thing. He understands what he did was terribly wrong.”
Police prosecutor Scheimer said the charges were “very serious” and said one of the vehicles was used as a weapon.
She said the police pursuit put many persons at “risk of death” and said it was committed when the defendant was on a community corrections order (CCO).
When handing down her sentence Magistrate addressed Kelly saying the facts were “pretty frightening quite frankly.”
“The injury occasioned to the police officer are not insignificant,” she told the court.
She said told the court he was on a community corrections order making it an aggravated factor she had to take into account in his sentence.
Looking at Kelly, Magistrate Viney said, “you’ve made a bit of a mess quite frankly of your life.”
She accepted that comes partly to the fact he comes from a disadvantaged background.
The magistrate told Kelly he needed to start thinking as to whether he wants to be part of the community enjoy its freedoms or be in a “revolving door to a jail cell.”
“The only one who can make that determination is you,” she told the court.
He was sentenced to 30 months in jail with a non-parole period of 18 months.
His time in custody starting from last June has been backdated and he will be released on December 15, 2020.