ACT court sentences Canberra teen to community-based order for stealing Mercedes, crashing into police car

Police last October had been trying to find a stolen Mercedes sedan after first spotting it being driven at high speed on the Monaro Highway in Hume and Fyshwick, a statement of facts tendered to the ACT Supreme Court on Monday reads.

About 18 hours following the initial pursuit on the highway where the teen had been driving the sedan, police had several cars at both ends of Forbes Street in Turner after spotting the car.

In his bid for freedom, the offender, still at the wheel, drove onto a footpath and narrowly avoided crashing into several parked cars.

He sped at high speed along the footpath towards police officers, including one constable who tried to deploy a spike strip.

When the Mercedes left the footpath, it bounced onto two wheels before losing traction and doing a 180-degree turn.

The teen then stomped on the acceleration and crashed head on with a police car.

Even when the Mercedes was out of action, the teen refused to exit it, prompting officers to use a Taser on him.

A subsequent blood sample analysis showed the offender had methylamphetamine in his system and police found 0.187g of the drug in the damaged sedan.

One of the officers received minor burns to his right forearm and had x-ray scans due to the pain from the collision.

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The charges to which the teen pleaded guilty in March included stealing a car and aggravated dangerous driving with the aggravation including failing to stop for police, speeding, and drug driving.

He also admitted to driving at or near police.

He fronted the Supreme Court on Monday when officers' body-worn camera footage, including from inside the police car during the head-on smash, were played.

Justice Michael Elkaim said "the young man high on drugs driving stupidly and dangerously is an unfortunate example of the type of event that the police have to deal with all too regularly".

"I'm sure they know there is a risk involved, but they are entitled to assume that their lives and health would not be unreasonably placed in jeopardy."

The court heard the Canberra-born offender, who has never been employed, intended to sell the Mercedes for drugs.

"Most of his friends are criminals. He hopes to make new friends when he leaves prison," Justice Elkaim said.

The judge said the teen recognised his dangerous actions because he said to pre-sentence report authors that "I could've lost the police officers their lives when they were just doing their jobs".

The judge sentenced the offender to an intensive corrections order, which is served in the community, of about two years and two months.

Prior to the sentence hand down, prosecutor Morgan Howe argued for a full-time jail term to be suspended after a period because the objective seriousness of the offending warranted time behind bars.

Defence lawyer Jonathan Cooper said the rehabilitation-focused drug and alcohol sentencing list was the best option, followed by an intensive corrections order, for his client.

However, the court heard that the list has been full since February, which prompted calls for a funding boost as judges have had use different sentencing structures for offenders who may be eligible for the list.

The corrections order, to start on Thursday, was also for the charges of driving while disqualified and possessing a drug of dependence to which the teen pleaded guilty.

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