Chris Cvetkovski, 40, sentenced for ramming police motorbike during Southport traffic stop

A police traffic stop has taken a dangerous turn with a man ramming an officer’s motorbike - and a court hearing he had also posed as a TAB worker at a pub. Read the latest from court

Police motorbike rammed at Southport. Picture: Queensland Police Service

A Gold Coast father who rammed a police motorbike and pretended to be a TAB worker to steal cash from pubs has been handed a jail sentence.

Chris Cvetkovski was behind the wheel of a white Holden Commodore in October last year when the sedan was pulled over by a police officer on a motorbike about 10pm near Southport.

The officer can be heard in his body-worn camera footage telling a female passenger standing next to the vehicle that he intends to search the car when back-up arrives.

She can then be seen re-entering the vehicle before it’s placed into reverse, ramming the police motorbike and crushing it.

The car can be heard revving loudly before it speeds off.

Footage of Cvetkovski’s car driving into oncoming traffic at Southport. Picture: Queensland Police Service

The confronting footage was played in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday where 40-year-old Cvetkovski pleaded guilty to a string of offences including wilful damage to police property, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, dishonestly gaining a benefit and dishonestly obtaining property.

Footage was also played to the court which showed Cvetkovski’s car driving on the wrong of the road minutes after it drove away from the officer.

Police prosecutor Gavin Reece told the court, the father of two had committed fraud offences in the months prior to the police stop, by posing as a TAB worker to steal cash from the Grand Hotel in Labrador.

“He’s gone in and reported to be a technician,” Mr Reece told the court.

“He’s accessed the machine and conducted three deposit amounts and has taken $400 from the til”.

Cvetkoski also used the same strategy to steal money from the Advancetown Hotel, the court heard.

Defence solicitor Lisa Searing told the court her client, Cvetkovski, had “panicked” when he was pulled over by the police officer late last year.

Cvetkovski’s lawyer said her client accidentally hit the police motorbike. Picture: Queensland Police Service

“He went to drive away. He instructs me he initially hit the vehicle by accident,” Ms Searing said.

“Clearly him staying on top of the vehicle and doing what he did is wilfully causing further damage to it.”

Ms Searing told the court Cvetkovski was using drugs at the time and had struggled with addiction since the age of 13.

He had also had a troubled childhood and was subjected to domestic violence, his parents had also died when he was young.

“There’s almost an internal struggle that he is having with himself,” Ms Searing said.

“He’s doing things he knew he shouldn’t be doing feeling remorseful for them and trying to fix it.”

Since being in prison, the court heard Cvetkovski had taken steps to turn his life around and had engaged counselling and support services for when he is released.

Magistrate Dzenita Balic accepted the father of two was remorseful for his actions.

“Your prospects of rehabilitation, to my mind, are still present, but are not great,” Magistrate Balic said.

“You do have a good work history. Which is remarkable given that fact that you have all this criminal history.”

“You have a lot riding on this.”

Magistrate Balic sentenced Cvetkovski to 19 months jail and took into account the 144 days he had already served.

He will be eligible for parole in May.