Rockhampton car thief Ashley Wovat jailed after police chase

A methamphetamines addict last year jailed for a motorcycle shop burglary has again been jailed – this time for a 17 minute high-speed police pursuit which damaged police cars and drove motorists off the road.

Ashley Lawrence Wovat, 35, consumed 0.7 grams of meth before he was spotted in a stolen car and was involved in a 17-minute police pursuit through Rockhampton in the middle of the day, Rockhampton Magistrates Court heard on May 31.

A methamphetamines addict last year jailed for a motorcycle shop burglary has again found himself behind bars – this time for a 17 minute high-speed police pursuit which left three police cars damaged and saw several motorists driven off the road.

Ashley Lawrence Wovat, 35, consumed 0.7 grams of meth before he was spotted in a stolen car and was involved in a midday police chase through Rockhampton, Rockhampton Magistrates Court heard on May 31.

The meth addict, who started using marijuana when he was eight or nine years old and meth when he was 21 or 22, started his latest round of offending four days after being released from prison, using a Mitsubishi Triton dual cab ute stolen from Gracemere to ram the front doors of Gladstone Motorcycles on June 14, 2023.

He pleaded guilty to the offences that saw him jailed in 2023.

CCTV footage of a break in at Gladstone Motorcycles and the KTM Six Days motorbike stolen.

Wovat stole a car from Emu Park on April 20 while in company and at night.

His licence was suspended by the State Penalty Enforcement Registry at the time.

Two days later, Wovat stole petrol from the Mobil service station at Emu Park, but it was the series of offences he carried out on May 2 that resulted in damaged police cars and Wovat was a danger to the community, police prosecutor Clancy Fox said.

“There was a 17 minute pursuit… where the defendant is described as showing no regard to members of the public, driving at high speeds, driving on the wrong side of the road and failing to stop at traffic lights,” Mr Fox said.

He said there was specific mention of forcing motorists off the road, narrowly missing collisions while travelling at speed and three police vehicles sustained damage but there were no charges laid against Wovat for the damage to the police vehicles nor allegations he intentionally rammed them or there were crashes.

Police located Wovat on Knight Street, Kawana, about 10.45am on May 2 and he sped off with a passenger in the car.

The chase came to an end when Wovat struck another person’s vehicle near a hotel.

No one was injured.

Defence lawyer Samantha Legrady said her client admitted to police in the watchhouse to taking 0.7 grams of meth the morning of the police pursuit.

She said drugs had been a significant problem for the father-of-two for most of his adult life, but there had been times when he had abstained from drugs and he had plans to move out west with friends once released from prison and stay away from drugs.

Wovat, who had a 15-page criminal record, pleaded guilty to two counts of driving while his licence was SPER-suspended and two of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, along with one count each of stealing fuel, evade police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle while on drugs, possessing a used drug pipe and failing to stop at the scene of a crash to provide particulars.

He was sentenced to 18 months prison to start after the Gladstone Motorcycle 2.5 year prison term ends with parole eligibility from November 30, 2024.

Wovat was also disqualified from driving for three years and two months.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Rockhampton car thief Ashley Wovat jailed after police chase