Homeless recidivist hoon Luke Robin was high on “ice” as he raged his way through Albury at high speed.
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The now 23-year-old’s driving was so dangerous and idiotic that police had no choice but to abandon their pursuits.
Robin was on the wrong side of the road and continuing to routinely ignore traffic lights, Albury Local Court has heard.
It was one of four such high-speed loops around Albury a year ago – one on December 27, when he kept a phone to his ear the whole time, and the other three, drug-addled performances on January 3.
When he was eventually arrested late that January afternoon as he hid in the back yard of a North Albury business, police struggled to get any sense out of him.
They described him as “vague” and said he needed support to walk, as his movements were “sluggish”.
“He admitted to having been on a ‘two-week ice bender’,” police said.
Robin was so badly affected by methamphetamine he couldn’t give a urine sample at Albury hospital.
The methamphetamine in his system was confirmed several weeks later when a positive result was returned on a police forensic examination of his blood.
During his first police pursuit, Robin jumped out of his still moving car and into a mate’s, who sped off in the silver hatchback as the now driver-less white Commodore kept travelling before crashing into a fence. Several drivers had to swerve out of the way of the car, which had a shredded tyre.
Robin has been in custody since the start of the year and now with his sentencing this week will remain behind bars until he qualifies for parole on March 2 next year.
Magistrate Tony Murray was told Robin had served jail time for pursuits.
In the current matters – Robin pleaded guilty on four separate sets of charges – he hit speeds of up to 120km/h in suburban streets.
Police were so concerned at the danger posed to the community by Robin’s driving that they did not hesitate to abandon the pursuits.
The charges on which Robin – who police said was of “no fixed address” – was convicted were two counts of police pursuit, three of drive while disqualified, three of fail to give particulars, take and drive conveyance, drive manner dangerous and drive under the influence.
He received jail terms of 20 months, with a non-parole period of 14 months, plus concurrent fixed terms of 10 months and 11 months.