Accused hit and run teen’s dad sentenced for freeway chase

The father of the teen allegedly involved in the hit and run deaths of a Redlands couple has been sentenced for a 150kmh chase.

Matty Field and Kate Leadbetter. The father of the teen allegedly involved in their hit and run deaths has been sentenced for a high-speed chase. Supplied: QLD Police

The father of the teenager alleged to have caused the deaths of Alexandra Hills couple Kate Leadbetter and Matty Field in a tragic hit and run has been charged after a high-speed chase.

The man, who cannot be identified, led police on a terrifying 40km pursuit from Heathwood, south of Brisbane, to Purga, near Amberley, on October 31.

A Brisbane court heard the man ran a red light, almost crashed into another car and was stopped only when police deployed tyre deflation devices.

He admitted to the court that he kept driving for a short distance before losing control of the car and hitting a gutter on the Ipswich-Boonah road about 9pm.

Polair was also called in to track the car, which the man at one point drove at 150kmh on the Centenary Mwy, the court heard.

The father of a teenager accused of causing a double fatality at Alexandra Hills last month.

Flowers for Kate Leadbetter and Matty Field at the intersection of Vienna and Finucane Roads at Alexandra Hills. Picture: Richard Walker

The man’s son, 17, allegedly slammed a stolen Landcruiser into a truck last month at the intersection of Vienna and Finucane roads in Alexandra Hills.

The truck was pushed into the couple, who were walking their dog. Ms Leadbetter was six months pregnant at the time.

Their deaths sparked a wave of sorrow and anger, culminating in pressure on the State Government to review parole laws and the youth justice system.

The teen faced a Brisbane court last week charged with the couple’s murder.

This week, another Brisbane court heard his father had an appalling criminal history and had been injecting methamphetamine from an early age.

The father has a string of serious drug and traffic offences dating back more than a decade, including one terrifying road rage incident where he threatened a motorist with a knife.

The families of Matty Field and Kate Leadbetter and their unborn child Miles read a statement thanking the community for there support and thanked emergency services as well Picture Screen Grabs from Police Media

The magistrate who sentenced the man for the latest incident said there appeared to be no explanation for it other than drug-induced madness.

“You seem to be otherwise reasonable (when not on drugs),’’ he said.

“Your history shows you do this over and over and over again. This means it is the protection of the community that is the overriding concern.’’

He warned the man, who was in custody and appeared via videolink, that he had to get off drugs and that if he faced court again he would face much harsher sentencing.

The magistrate took into account the man’s early guilty plea, co-operation with police and remorse and sentenced him to a cumulative head sentence of two and a half years.

Parole eligibility was set at September 10. He was completely disqualified from driving, meaning he will have to convince a court that he is fit to ever hold a licence again.

Originally published as Accused hit and run teen’s dad sentenced for freeway chase