Jesse Norris: Edgeworth motorbike chase, dad jailed
A serial traffic offender looked straight at police before he accelerated onto the wrong side of the road during school pick up time. Today he learned his fate in court for his part in the wild pursuit.
Newcastle
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A father will spend the next nine months in jail after leading police on a wild chase through Newcastle’s western suburbs on a motorbike.
Serial traffic offender Jesse Norris was sentenced to a maximum of 15 months prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to reckless driving and driving unlicensed following the February 19 manhunt.
Agreed facts tendered to Central Local Court revealed the roof tiler was spotted by police on his blue Yamaha headed west on Main Rd, Glendale, with its “obscured” number plate catching their attention about 2.55pm.
Officers on the ground lost the vehicle due to heavy traffic but the bike’s journey was tracked from the sky by a PolAir helicopter.
Trail bike police waited for Norris at the intersection of Northville Dr and Main Rd, Edgeworth, signalling him to pull over – at that point the ride took a dangerous turn.
“The accused looked directly towards police before accelerating harshly onto the wrong side of the road, undertaking a vehicle onto Dunbar Rd, Edgeworth,” the facts state.
Trail bike police chose not to pursue due to safety reasons as Norris rode across Cameron Park Reserve, through several streets and into bushland behind Nancy Cl, Cameron Park.
There the 28-year-old “removed his shirt” and asked a homeowner if he could borrow their phone, the facts state, but police had already caught up to him.
After he was arrested he immediately admitted to being unlicensed – he was not eligible to drive until 2022 - and told police he was on parole for similar offences.
Officers also found a small amount of cannabis in his possession, which he told them was for personal use.
The entire incident, some of which took part in a school zone, was captured on the PolAir camera.
On Wednesday the court heard Norris lived with his son and elderly grandparents in Cardiff.
He fled from police because he was on parole, having been released from jail in July 2019.
Magistrate Robert Williams found no alternative but to send Norris back to prison, setting a non-parole period that will expire in January 2021.
Norris was also convicted of drug possession, using a misleading number plate, driving an unregistered vehicle and driving uninsured.
He has since sold his motorcycle, the court heard.