Jordan Tayla Parkins towards M1 with baby in arms to flee police
A young mother ran from police while carrying her three-month-old baby in her arms after fleeing a stolen car. Find out what happened when she faced court.
Gold Coast
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A young mother who ran towards the M1 to escape police while carrying her three-month-old baby in her arms has walked free from court.
Jordan Tayla Parkins, 21, and her partner sparked a police pursuit involving the Polair helicopter and dog squad when they travelled from northern New South Wales to Burleigh Heads in a stolen car.
Parkins pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a motor vehicle, obstruct police officer and possession of a knife in a public place when she faced the Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday.
On June 5, the 21-year-old, her partner and their infant son were the subject of a missing persons report after they left a Byron Bay hospital.
Witnesses believed the family was travelling in a stolen car.
Around 8.30pm on June 7, a police helicopter located the family in bushland at Burleigh Heads.
The couple attempted to flee from police in a stolen Nissan patrol with Parkins in the passenger seat, the court was told.
Police deployed tyre spikes on Old Coach Rd before Parkins got out of the car and started running towards the M1 while carrying her baby.
Police prosecutor Gavin Reece said police – including rapid action patrol, the dog squad and the child protection investigation unit – pursued the woman on foot.
When a police officer approached Parkins and told her to stop running, she responded: “f**k off”, the court was told.
Parkins was eventually arrested and taken to the Southport watch-house.
The baby was taken in by the NSW child protection service.
Mr Reece said Parkins told police she was only a passenger in the car and didn’t realise it was stolen.
“She stated she first got into the vehicle at Reedy Creek, which was being driven by her partner,” he said.
“She further stated she was running from police as she didn’t want her partner to go to jail. “She wanted the family to be together.”
Parkins’ defence lawyer Sunil Dutt said his client had no involvement in the stealing of the car and her partner was now in a NSW prison.
He said the 21-year-old grew up on the Gold Coast and had a difficult upbringing.
Parkins worked in hospitality during her late teens but became unemployed after she was injured in a car accident in 2021.
“She ended up in a wheelchair for three months. She didn’t recover properly from that and she suffered from depression and anxiety,” Mr Dutt said.
Magistrate Sarah Thompson took into account Parkins’ guilty plea when she handed down the sentence.
“It seems both you and your partner became associated with what is described as an undesirable group and that is how you found yourself in trouble with the law,” Magistrate Thompson said.
Parkins was fined $500.
No conviction was recorded.
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