Gold Coast man Cameron Scott Noad jailed in Southport court after dangerous police pursuit
A Gold Coast man has let police on a chaotic 20-hour pursuit while high on stimulant drugs - the full details of his rampage have now been heard in court.
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HIGH on stimulant drugs, a Gold Coast man led police on a chaotic 20-hour pursuit, cutting off a tram, travelling on the tracks, mounting footpaths and forcing police to use two vehicles to ram his car to a shuddering halt.
Cameron Scott Noad was experiencing drug-induced psychosis and other mental health issues when he evaded police with false number plates on a disqualified licence.
However, Magistrate Mark Howden deemed in Southport Magistrates Court on Friday that Noad’s erratic state of mind was fuelled by amphetamine and methamphetamines (ice).
He “made a conscious decision” and an excuse of poor mental health “just doesn’t cut it”, prosecutor Bob Falconer told the court.
Noad, 32, faced the court after a month in custody as an involuntary mental health patient and three months in prison.
Mr Howden detailed Noad’s“extremely dangerous” driving from about 1am-9pm on July 17.
Police spotted Noad “behaving strangely”, yelling and honking his horn in the car park of Gold Coast University Hospital.
When police tried to pull Noad over, he sped off and was not seen until 2.50pm, when officers were patrolling Ferry Rd, Southport and tried to pull him over.
Noad seemed to comply before he “sped up, swerved into the middle lane and accelerated”.
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He then “drove through a red light” and “cut off an oncoming tram coming down Nerang St”.
Noad hit another intersection and “mounted up onto the pedestrian footpath, went around the waiting traffic and continued through the red light”, Mr Howden said.
Police again spotted Noad about 7.45pm when he had “driven onto tram tracks, stopped the car” and began “speaking to people waiting for a tram”.
Taking off with a burnout and a drift, Noad “appeared to intentionally drive on the tram tracks”, before he mounted a footpath and motored away.
Soon after, police punctured the tyres of Noad’s car with stingers, “but (Noad) kept driving”, again mounting a footpath.
Officers took “tactical police action”, bringing Noad’s car to a stop after he ran another red.
Three days prior, Noad was seen intoxicated, “yelling abuse and threatening a homeless man”. Police caught him with a knife and a “crack pipe”.
Noad pleaded guilty to 15 charges, including dangerous operation of a vehicle while intoxicated, evasion, failing to stop and driving without due care and attention.
Defence lawyer Demi Quadrio argued “it’s not the court’s job to punish the mentally unwell”.
She said Noad had been “diagnosed with bipolar effective, drug-induced psychosis (and) schizoaffective disorder” but had a “clear recollection” of the chase.
Ms Quadrio said Noad was on a disability pension after most recently working in construction.
Noad chose not to take his medication as it “zombies him out” and he “doesn’t like the public making a mockery of him”, she said.
Mr Howden sentenced Noad to 12 months jail, two years probation and disqualified his licence for two years.
Noad will be released on parole on December 16.
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