Luke Bingham: Upwey man’s alleged wild driving during lockdown
An Upwey man has allegedly led police on a 90-minute chase across Melbourne, reaching speeds of 150km/h with his headlights off outside curfew hours. He was also allegedly caught trying to smuggle a taser and drugs into a prison.
Outer East
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A man who allegedly tried to smuggle a taser and drugs into a prison also allegedly led police on a 1.5 hour chase across Melbourne, doing speeds of up to 150km/h.
Luke Bingham was found hiding under a sheet in someone’s garden shed — more than 35km from where police first tried to arrest him — after the alleged wild police chase on August 20.
The 34-year-old, who was on bail fronted Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court to apply for bail on Wednesday, August 26.
The court heard the chase began when Bingham was a passenger in a Subaru Forester with false number plates that police saw travelling fast on Heyington Ave, Thomastown, about 2.30am on August 20.
A police helicopter followed the car to St Helena, where Bingham allegedly got behind the wheel, and drove through Diamond Creek and Warrandyte to Ringwood, buying $15 petrol at 7 Eleven Ringwood about 2.55am.
The court heard Bingham allegedly then got onto the Eastern Freeway, where he was followed by unmarked police cars, with no others on the road due to Melbourne’s lockdown.
He allegedly drove along the Monash Freeway, through the Domain Tunnel, then did a U-turn and sped back along the Monash at about 150km/h with his headlights off.
He allegedly then sped through the streets of Glen Waverley, Wheelers Hill, Burwood, Bayswater, Knox and Scoresby before police managed to deflate his tyres in Bayswater about 4.15am.
Bingham allegedly drove until the car came to a stop in Vermont South, where he and his passenger ran in separate directions and were found hiding soon after.
The court heard Bingham‘s licence had previously been disqualified, and he was on bail after he allegedly tried to sneak methamphetamine and an active, charged taser into the Metropolitan Remand Centre.
The items were allegedly found on Bingham and another man when they tried to enter the prison on February 8, before Bingham tried to push past prison officers and get into the prison anyway.
Police then searched the car they’d arrived in, allegedly finding more methamphetamine, GHB, syringes and ice pipes.
The court heard Bingham also allegedly gave police a false name and address when he was caught in Collingwood with stolen number plates and prescription medication and believed to be dealing proceeds of crime on May 31.
Lawyer Julie Buxton said her client was an Indigenous man who self-medicated his ADHD using drugs, and had three children not in his care.
She had Bingham’s case worker at the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency give evidence that Bingham didn’t offend when he was caring for the children, and that his offending worsened the longer he’d been without them.
Ms Buxton said Bingham was about to be assessed for a place in a drug detox program to address his addiction and could live with his mum in Upwey.
She highlighted the difficult conditions in custody due to COVID-19, and said he risked spending longer in jail than he could be sentenced to due to delays.
Magistrate Ian Alger said the alleged “extremely serious episode of driving” could result in a prison sentence, but that there could be a lengthy delay in resolving the case and that Bingham had a better chance of addressing drug problem at rehab.
He bailed Bingham with strict conditions.
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