NSW police pursuits — the hot headed hoons who put lives at risk
They are the worst of our hot-headed and lead-footed hoons convicted and sentenced for wild police pursuits across Sydney and its outskirts in the past 12 months.
Police & Courts
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From a bodybuilder who used his car as an “offensive weapon”, to troubled teens and boozed up boofheads, these hot-headed hoons put the public’s lives at risk when they put their foot to the floor — and tried to outrun the police.
RHYS EVANS
Former body builder Rhys Evans, 32, was sentenced for a string of serious driving offences linked to a wild police chase through the lower north shore.
Charges against Evans, from Potts Point, included three counts of police pursuit (not stop) drive recklessly, as well as one count each of assaulting police and use/possess or attempt/threaten to use an offensive weapon — a white Range Rover — to avoid arrest.
Police saw Evans driving erratically in the luxury SUV on the Warringah Freeway at Neutral Bay about 5am on October 30 last year.
He was seen driving on the wrong side of the freeway, and other roads, multiple times. Police began a pursuit, but it was terminated shortly after due to safety concerns.
The vehicle was eventually stopped after driving on footpaths and colliding with police cars, at the intersection of Centennial Ave and Jenkins St, Chatswood, at about 5.45am.
Evans, who had a longstanding issue with drugs and several mental health conditions, had to be Tasered before he was arrested. It took eight officers to subdue him. He was jailed for 18 months.
KATHRYN JOHNSON
This young mum led police on an 11km police chase through the Central Coast before crashing at a pedestrian crossing.
Kathryn Johnson, 35, a serial driving offender, was convicted of four sets of charges, relating to offences of driving while disqualified, driving while affected by drugs and drink driving between February and June 2020.
A court heard that around 10.40pm on June 24, Johnson led police on a wild pursuit in her Kia Sportage through Killarney Vale and Bateau Bay, which attracted the attention of hundreds of social media users.
She reached speeds between 80km/h and 130km/h before she lost control of the car near the intersection of Shortland St and Wyong Rd and crashed into the pedestrian crossing light.
She got two years in jail.
JAMES PARISI-YACOUB
This driver, who was already disqualified until 2031, “panicked” when he saw the cop car’s flashing lights and led police on a 160km/h chase in his Toyota Camry.
Parisi-Yacoub, 26, of Frenchs Forest, knew he wasn’t supposed to be behind the wheel and took off.
He drove on the wrong side of the road during the 10km pursuit through North Ryde and Ryde that police ended up calling off for public safety reasons.
Parisi-Yacoub was later arrested at a house in Carlingford. He pleaded guilty to one count of police pursuit – not stop – drive recklessly; and two counts of drive while disqualified.
He was jailed for 15 months, with the sentence to be served in the community as an Intensive Corrections Order, and disqualified from driving for another nine months.
PAUL JOHNSON
This Hunter Valley man, who had been disqualified from driving for life over a high-speed chase that killed a police officer in 2016, was in court this year for two more dangerous pursuits.
Johnson 39, who has a long criminal record, was behind the wheel when he initiated a police pursuit near Maitland five years ago, before Sgt Geoffrey Richardson crashed into a tree at Allandale and was killed.
Newcastle District Court heard this year that Johnson was in a stolen car in 2019 when he was chased through Rutherford.and Maitland before losing control and slamming into a cemetery, damaging 17 grave sites.
Last year he was chased by police through Rutherford, weaving in and out of traffic and driving on the wrong side of the road. He was arrested in a house soon after.
Johnson was jailed for three years.
JAMAAL ZADRO
This troubled teenager led police on a chase in an unregistered Ford Focus so wild the authorities called it off to protect the community.
Zadro, 19, from Leumeah, was driving an unregistered Ford Focus in Ingleburn in October last year when he was detected by police. He initially pulled over before accelerating away, mounting a median strip and ultimately evading police.
Then Zadro drove back past the police who had called off the chase.
Only days after the brazen act, the teenager was again busted behind the wheel with his mum in the passenger seat.
He was placed on an 18-month Community Corrections Order and 12-month Conditional Release Order.
AARON COOPER
Cooper was a P-plater when he was involved in a high-speed police chase that ended with a dramatic crash which saw his Nissan Pulsar, with four passengers inside, flipping onto its roof.
The 21-year-old was spotted by police speeding in a 60km/h zone on Harold St, Macquarie Fields, after 11pm.
The car reached speeds of 100km/h as it sped along residential streets, while attempting to evade police.
Cooper lost control of the Nissan before flipping it onto its roof in thick bushland.
He was trapped in the car until he was arrested by police.
Cooper was handed an 18-month Community Corrections Order, and 150 hours of community service as well as being disqualified from driving for 18 months.
SIOSIUA KINAHOI
Siosiua Kinahoi was a learner driver, but that didn’t stop him speeding away from police who wanted to stop him for a RBT on the northern beaches.
The 19-year-old hit speeds of 150km/h in a 60km/h zone in a desperate bid to out run police in his Subaru Forester.
He had been drinking, but decided to lead police on the high-speed chase along Warringah and Pittwater roads at Brookvale.
He eventually pulled his Subaru over in North Manly. Kinahoi got out of the car with his hands up and said: “I’m sorry”.
He was convicted and handed a Community Corrections Order to be of good behaviour for 12 months and also banned from driving for three years.
BAILEY PRATCH
Pratch, from southwest Sydney, ended up spending his 21st birthday behind bars after leading police on a wild pursuit through a park and a school zone while children were around.
The 21-year-old was driving a Suzuki Liana along Rosewood Dr, Ingleburn in March at about 3.10pm when police noticed the car had been unregistered since January 29.
Police followed Pratch with their lights and sirens on but he failed to stop.
He then drove the car, with three passengers on-board, off the road onto Flume Reserve and through it onto Eucalyptus Dr where he entered a school zone in front of Curran Public School at 60km/h.
At the time of the pursuit a number of local schools had just finished for the day.
He was jailed for 10 months.
TRAVIS SORGER
Sorger was already suspended from driving after police noticed him swerving across unbroken lines on June 6 last year. He later recorded a mid-range blood alcohol reading of 0.122.
But a little more than a month later, at about 11.45pm on a Friday, he was detected by Highway Patrol officers on Warnervale Rd at Hamlyn Terrace, doing 72km/h in a 50km/h zone.
Police caught up to his Ford Kuga and activated their lights and sirens, but Sorger accelerated away.
His car reached speeds of 170km/h in a 70km/h zone, ran a red light and reached speeds of about 190km/h on the M1 Motorway.
He eventually jumped from the car in a dead-end road at Yarramalong and managed to escape police. Sorger handed himself in the next day.
After pleading guilty to mid-range drink-driving, driving while disqualified, failing to stop during the police pursuit and exceeding the speed limit, he was jailed for 14 months.
TALEEA SIMMONS
This L-plater led police on a chase where she hit an estimated 130km/h in a 50km/h zone.
The 22-year-old from Budgewoi pleaded guilty to failing to stop during a police pursuit; being an unaccompanied Learner driver and drink-driving after failing to stop her Proton hatchback despite police activating their lights and siren at Lake Haven in March this year.
After crashing her car into the kerb while trying to take a corner, she was breath tested and blew 0.107.
Simmons was given a community corrections orders for 18 months, 300 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for three year.
JACK TELFORD
Telford was given 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.
According to police facts tendered in court, 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 the car going eastbound on the Great Western Highway, Springwood, and made a U-turn to attempt to pull the car over.
Telford, 26, from Katoomba was behind the wheel.
He car drove over unbroken lines twice during the pursuit, and reached speeds of almost 140km/h before it crashed into a grass verge and small trees, The pursuit lasted for 27 seconds and went for 790m.
All five people in the Subaru were injured.
Telford 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.
He was sent to jail for 18 months with a non-parole period of 12 months.
LINDSAY BENNETT
Bennett was caught driving with a dog hanging off the back of his ute and triggered two police pursuits in just six hours while he was disqualified from driving.
Police spotted the 35-year-old driving at about 4.30pm on Tooloon St, Coonamble, with a dog hanging off the side of his Mitsubishi Triton in December last year.
When police turned on their sirens to get Bennett to stop, he led them on a 23km pursuit, which ended on a dirt road after his vehicle started sliding across the road in the rain.
The dog managed to get back up onto the back of the ute during the chase, which was terminated by police for safety reasons after Bennett reached speeds of more than 120km/h in a 100km/h zone.
Less than six hours later, cops spotted Bennett again on Castlereagh St. He led officers on a 15km pursuit, which again ended on a dirt road. He was arrested after the ute became bogged.
He was handed a 10-month intensive corrections order, 120 hours of community service and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
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