Judge questions Nathan Heath Miller’s claim he was rushing to pregnant partner when he seriously injured police officer at RBT

A phone call between a man who fled an RBT and his partner proves his story doesn’t stack up, a court has heard.

A man who fled an RBT and dragged a police officer along the road with his car was urgently trying to get to his partner who was suffering pregnancy complications, a court has heard.

Nathan Heath Miller, 48, appeared in the District Court on Tuesday where a court heard he was driving with his son inside the car, which hit a police officer, while he had a suspended licence because his partner was having complications with her pregnancy.

However, Judge Anthony Allen said Miller’s partner told a different version of events and was heard condemning his decisions in a phone call intercepted by police.

Miller, of Woodville West, has pleaded guilty to causing harm by dangerous driving, driving without due care, leave accident scene after causing serious harm and several other driving offences.

“The body-worn footage … tends to paint a different story to that,” Judge Allen said.

“Your client’s captured saying ‘all right, oi ... f***en when I left there was a f**ken bretho around the corner, I pulled into the side street, there’s cops there.

Nathan Miller has pleaded guilty to injuring a police officer after he left the scene of an RBT. Picture: Supplied

“They’ve tried to lift me out of (the car), I’ve taken off with him hanging outside the car.”

Judge Allen then said Miller’s partner responded to these comments over the phone condemning his actions.

“Are you f**king kidding me? What the f**k is wrong with you? Are you f**king serious?,” he said.

“Your client said ‘(partner’s name) I don’t need to hear you now’, she says: ‘you’d rather get done for that than a f**king breatho, are you f**king serious?

“(The partner) says ‘you need to stop f**ken driving for once, just face the consequences and then maybe wait and you’ll get your licence like a normal f**king person because this is bulls**t what you’re putting me through.”

Judge Allen said the partner made her position clear and he therefore did not accept the submissions Miller had been begged, by her, to go home and drive her to hospital.

A court previously heard police were performing random breath testing duties at Elaine Ave at Seaton on April, 2023.

They stopped a silver Holden Captiva about 5.15pm and spoke to Miller – before requesting a breath sample.

The man refused to stop at the RBT. Picture: Tom Huntley

“(Miller) said that ‘he can’t stop, he can’t stop’ and began moving his vehicle forward,” the prosecutor said.

The police officer suffered a broken fibia, torn ligaments in his ankle and a dislocated shoulder.

Subsequently, he had three surgeries.

Chris Pouras, for Miller, said he’d been instructed his client had called his partner to see how she was going with her pregnancy when she alerted him to the fact she was experiencing heavy bleeding.

“She begged Mr Miller to return home immediately,” he said.

“Mr Miller panicked. At the time of making that telephone call he was in close proximity to his ex-partner’s house where his son lived.

“He made the snap decision to use his father’s car to drive back to his partner and take her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.”

Due to what appeared to be the inconsistencies in the stories, Judge Allen ordered Mr Pouras take further instructions from his client before returning back to court for further submissions.

Miller will next appear in the District Court in August.

Originally published as Judge questions Nathan Heath Miller’s claim he was rushing to pregnant partner when he seriously injured police officer at RBT