Bilal Saleh, Hanna Rasmussen allegedly involved in high-speed pursuit in southwest Sydney

A convicted drug dealer was allegedly behind the wheel of a Range Rover while a mother of five was in the passenger seat during a high-speed police pursuit through southern Sydney.

A man and woman have faced court following an “erratic” police pursuit in southern Sydney. Picture: Tom Parrish

A convicted drug dealer was allegedly behind the wheel of a Range Rover while a mother of five was in the passenger seat during a high-speed police pursuit through southern Sydney.

Bilal Saleh, 41, and Hanna Rasmussen, 31, fronted Sutherland Local Court on Thursday after being arrested and charged following the pursuit in Riverwood on Wednesday afternoon.

Saleh, who the court heard was recently sentenced to an 18-month intensive correction order for indictable drug supply and participating in a criminal group, was charged with being involved in a police pursuit, driving while disqualified and resisting police.

In court, Saleh pleaded not guilty to being involved in a police pursuit and resisting police, but pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified.

Rasmussen, who was allegedly the passenger in the vehicle, was charged with hindering police, possessing a prohibited drug and supplying an indictable quantity of drugs – namely 10.86g of meth.

Police allege patrolling officers noticed the white Range Rover “driving erratically” before instigating a pursuit about 2.20pm on Wednesday.

The alleged pursuit came to an end in Riverwood.

The court heard on Thursday, the vehicle allegedly reached speeds of up to 100km/h in a 60km/h zone, crossed over onto the wrong side of the road and narrowly missed a median strip.

The car slowed down at one point, with the court hearing police allegedly yelled for the driver to stop, before the officers jumped out of the way in fear of being hit.

The time span of the pursuit was allegedly four minutes with it coming to a conclusion on the M5 Motorway where the Ranger Rover eventually stopped.

The court heard police allegedly saw movement in the car before searching the vehicle. A third person was in the car, however, they have not been charged.

Police conducted a body search of the trio with the nearly 11g of meth allegedly found secreted in Rasmussen’s buttocks.

“Despite her efforts police were able to locate drugs in and around her buttocks,” Magistrate Philip Stewart said.

During Saleh’s bail application, the police prosecutor cited concerns about the accused endangering the community and reoffending.

His defence lawyer submitted his client was on an ICO for offending of a “serious nature”, but he described the pursuit in this matter as “short”.

The pair appeared in Sutherland Local Court on Thursday.

The magistrate said there was an “extraordinarily high likelihood” Saleh would be jailed if found guilty of the fresh offences before refusing him bail.

However, Mr Stewart did grant Saleh’s co-accused bail earlier in the day after her lawyer argued “there is no suggestion she had any influence on Mr Saleh’s driving behaviour”.

The Legal Aid lawyer also said the quantity of drugs could amount to being for personal use and not supplying, while also highlighting Rasmussen having a medical condition which she was due to have an operation for on Thursday.

The court heard Rasmussen had a “significant criminal history” including a matter she was sentenced to an ICO for in 2019.

When granting bail, Mr Stewart ordered Rasmussen to reside at an address in Greenwich, report daily to police, not consume drugs or alcohol and not contact the co-accused or the other person in the vehicle.

The matters will return to court later this month.

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