Bathurst: Mitchell Hussey accused of leading cops on 125km car pursuit
A man accused of taking cops on a police chase - described by a prosecutor as the “longest by time and distance” he had ever seen - through the Central West has fronted court.
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A man who claims he “blacked out” when cops tried to pull him over in Bathurst before allegedly leading them on a 125km chase through the Central West has fronted court.
Mitchell Hussey, 26, of Bathurst, was arrested last Friday after allegedly leading police on a 125km pursuit through several towns along the Castlereagh Highway.
The police prosecutor told Lithgow Court Hussey’s alleged pursuit was the “longest by time and distance” he’d ever read.
Police will allege they attempted to stop Hussey’s blue Hyundai i30 on William St, Bathurst, for a random breath test when he failed to stop.
The alleged pursuit travelled along the Castlereagh Highway until Cullen Bullen, where the car was stopped using road spikes.
Police allege Hussey then fled the vehicle by foot into a nearby paddock where a short struggle ensued.
Hussey faced Magistrate Cate Follent at Lithgow Local Court on Thursday on charges of police pursuit – not stop – drive dangerously (Skye’s law), drive recklessly/furiously or at speed/in a dangerous manner, driving while disqualified, and resisting a police officer.
His lawyer applied for bail, saying his client wanted to be released to be able to support his family as his father was undergoing surgery on Friday.
The lawyer claimed Hussey had “blacked out” when police attempted to stop him in Bathurst, and did not recall his behaviour after that point.
He said Hussey could live at a residential address in Bathurst and would be willing to report to police daily and stick to a strict curfew.
He also said Hussey was willing to wear a monitoring ankle bracelet as part of bail conditions.
The prosecution opposed bail, saying while the proposed conditions prevented the risk of failing to appear at future court dates, they didn’t prevent the risk of committing further offences.
The prosecutor said it was a “very serious police pursuit” that had an “overwhelming prosecution case”.
“This pursuit only stopped because police put themselves at risk by laying out roadspikes,” he said.
Magistrate Follent refused bail, citing Hussey’s history of disobeying court orders.
“The matters are serious, and the prosecution appears to have an overwhelming case,” she said.
“He was caught fleeing the scene, and he allegedly made admissions after his arrest.
“A custodial sentence of some length is inevitable if found guilty of the charge.”
Hussey will next appear before Bathurst Local Court on May 11.