Mohammed Hamidi-Asl leads police chase on Dalton Road, Lalor
An unlicensed Mill Park man led police on a “horrifying” chase through Lalor after finding out his “on-off” partner was pregnant. He then went on to break a KFC store’s front window after being released from custody.
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An unlicensed motorist who led police on a “horrifying” chase through Lalor had just found out his “on-off” partner was pregnant, a court has heard.
Magistrate Denise Livingstone said Mohammed Hamidi-Asl was lucky his actions hadn’t caused a tragedy when the 25-year-old appeared before Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, August 5.
The Mill Park man pleaded guilty to the July 5 police chase, as well as 14 thefts from service stations, in which he stole more than $1000 worth of food, drinks and electrical goods, stole a car and broke a KFC store’s front window.
The court heard Hamidi-Asl began driving erratically on July 5 when he drove a car without number plates past a police car on Dalton Rd, Lalor.
Leading Senior Constable Grant Smith said after seeing police he overtook traffic on the left- hand side, through the bike lane, doing an estimated 80km/h in a 60km/h zone.
Hamidi-Asl then drove through a red light before police began pursuing him with lights and sirens.
He accelerated on the wrong side of the road, reaching speeds of up to 90km/h, and overtaking a bus without being able to see if there was oncoming traffic or pedestrians behind it.
Police arrested him when he got to his home, finding he was unlicensed and had cannabis in the car.
Hamidi-Asl was then taken into custody and bailed at Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on July 6, hours before he kicked the front window of KFC Mill Park out of rage, cracking the glass.
The court heard he had also committed 14 thefts from service stations, mainly Coles Express Mill Park and Caltex Mill Park, between April 10 and July 15.
Hamidi-Asl stole petrol, food, drinks and electrical goods from the stores, walking out and refusing to pay.
The car detailer also faced charges after his fingerprints were found on the mirror of a recovered Volkswagen that had been stolen from Carlton in August.
His lawyer told the court he suffered from ADHD, abused alcohol and had just found out his “on-off” partner was pregnant before the driving incident.
Magistrate Livingstone said the police chase was “quite a horrifying story”.
She said he was lucky not he was not before the court having caused injury, with the offending likely to lead to “catastrophe or tragedy”.
Ms Livingstone said she was taking into account Hamidi-Asl’s plea, youth, limited but relevant prior convictions, and the need for deterrence when sentencing him.
He was sentenced to 42 days in jail, having already served 24, followed by a 24-month community corrections order, and fined $1227.40.
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