Christopher James Warnock sentenced for ‘extreme’ driving on Olympic Highway and Wagga City Golf Club
A man has fronted court after driving at nearly 200km/h before crashing through a golf course while he was high on ice and had kids in the car.
The Wagga News
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A driver has been sentenced to a maximum of 11 months’ jail after he was high on drugs while driving at nearly 200km/h before crashing through a golf course.
The whole time he had children in his car
Christopher James Warnock, 32, appeared via video link in Wagga Local Court last Friday for sentencing in relation to numerous dangerous driving, property damage and traffic offences on the afternoon of February 3.
Court documents state Wagga police were patrolling the Olympic Highway between Yerong Creek and The Rock about 2pm when they first saw Warnock driving a red Holden Commodore sedan going “well above the 100km/h” zone towards Wagga.
Another highway patrol car at Uranquinty clocked it going 193km/h. On both occasions, police had lost track of the car because of the speed.
However, they saw the sedan again speeding onto the Sturt Highway in Ashmont, narrowly avoiding collision with another car.
Warnock, of Hebersham in Sydney’s west, then sped onto the golf course in Moorong where he damaged the entrance gate before speeding towards the function centres then crashing through two more fences.
The car finally stopped at a property’s grounds after extensive damages to the tyres and body.
Warnock then ran from the car, captured by CCTV at the property.
He crossed Roach Road before hiding in a small demountable building.
There, police arrested Warnock and searched the car where they found a covert camera, Queensland number plates, and the rear brakes not working.
Documents tendered to the court state police were “in total shock to see that children were in the vehicle”.
“The level of danger that Warnock also posed to other road users and the community was extreme,” police documents state.
They also state Warnock did not show remorse while in custody for the danger he caused.
Tests showed that he was driving while on the drug ice.
While police were after Warnock, they came across a distraught woman who had parked her car on the roadside.
She told police the Commodore “nearly clipped” her car and she showed police recorded footage of the incident.
Warnock had pleaded guilty to three counts of destroying property and one count of driving while under the influence of a prohibited drug.
He pleaded not guilty but was convicted of three counts of not giving particulars to the owner of damaged property; two counts each of driving in a dangerous manner and unlawfully possessing number plates; and one count each of driving a car with defective brakes, driving an unsafe car, driving an uninsured car, driving an unregistered car, goods in personal custody suspected being stolen and driving a car with unauthorised number plate.
He was also fined $1400 for a number of the offences and the court disqualified him from having a driver’s licence for three years.
He also pleaded not guilty but was convicted of speeding at more than 45km/h over the limit in which no further penalty was imposed
With a non-parole period of six months and having been in custody since February 3, Warnock will be eligible for early release on August 2 this year.