An Invercargill 20-year-old has been given 80 hours of community work for the Canterbury leg of his 720km South Island journey that involved three police pursuits.
Christchurch District Court Judge David Saunders decided not to add to the disqualification that Michael George Massie has already received for another part of the same trip.
Defence counsel Phillip Allan explained Massie was already disqualfied from driving until 2021 after a sentencing in an Invercargill court in December.
Judge Saunders said: “He already has a substantial period ahead of him. If he continues to breach orders he will be going to jail, because he now has a history of vehicle offending.”
Massie admitted dangerous driving near Woodend in an incident on October 14, in what the judge said was “a recipe for disaster”. He had been reported by a member of the public speeding and crossing the centre line.
The incident was part of a journey from Nelson to where he stopped his car near Waikouaiti, Otago. He was caught walking across a field after turning off the highway and leaving the car as police were deploying road spikes.
Police had tried to catch him three times during the big drive.
Judge Saunders told him there had been four road deaths in Canterbury during the last week, in which drivers had apparently crossed the centre line in two crashes.
“You could well have killed yourself or some other innocent road users. You need to take a good, hard look at yourself,” the judge told Massie as he imposed sentence.
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