Springwood: Jack Telford sentenced for pursuit
A young man led police on a high-speed pursuit in the Blue Mountains that only ended when the Suburu Forrester crashed.
The Blue Mountains News
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A man will spend at least a year behind bars after a police pursuit in the Blue Mountains ended in a car crash that injured four of his passengers.
Jack Telford, 26, of Katoomba, pleaded guilty to charges of driving dangerously – police pursuit, unlawfully obtained goods in custody, driving while disqualified, using an unregistered vehicle, and using an uninsured vehicle.
Two other charges against him were dropped.
According to police facts, police received intelligence on November 13 that a silver Subaru Forrester may have been involved in several break-and-enter offences in the Blue Mountains.
Just before 1am, officers saw a silver Forrester driving eastbound on the Great Western Highway, Springwood, and made a U-turn to attempt to pull the car over.
The Forrester then sped north up Hawkesbury Rd, initiating a police pursuit.
According to the facts, the car drove over unbroken lines twice during the pursuit, and reached speeds of almost 140km/h before it crashed into a grass verge and some small trees on a corner.
The pursuit lasted for 27 seconds and went for 790 metres.
When police arrived at the scene of the crash, they saw five people in the vehicle – Telford behind the wheel and four passengers suffering injuries of varying severity.
Police also believe the vehicle’s licence plates were stolen from another vehicle.
Telford was initially refused bail in Parramatta Local Court on Saturday, and pleaded guilty to the offences on Monday in Penrith Local Court.
In court on Tuesday, Telford’s lawyer told the court his client “panicked” when he saw the police as he knew the car was uninsured and unregistered.
“He’s struggling to find the words to express himself, but he’s highly aware of the danger he put everyone in,” he said.
“He regrets that he has returned himself to jail, potentially for a significant amount of time.
“He’s still a young man, someone who needs supervision and assistance with ongoing drug and alcohol issues.”
Magistrate Geoff Hiatt said the offending was “above the mid-range of objective seriousness”.
“While it’s a relatively short pursuit, the consequences of injuries are due to your conduct,” he said.
Magistrate Hiatt convicted Telford and sentenced him to 18 months in jail with a non-parole period of 12 months.
He will be first eligible for release on November 13, 2021.