A Dereel p-plate driver who travelled 85km/h over the speed limit in a rural town to evade police has pleaded guilty from his lounge room.
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Nathan Branch, 23, pleaded guilty to five driving offences at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court by a video link from his lounge room on Wednesday.
Online hearings are being held as part of the court's operational changes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduces the need for physical attendances.
Wednesday's plea hearing was interrupted briefly when magistrate Cynthia Toose told Branch to stop drinking his coffee, telling him it was not a cafe.
The court was told police officers driving a marked vehicle tried to intercept Nathan Branch on the Colac-Ballarat Road at 12.10pm on October 13.
They had just found out Branch was using unregistered number plates, which belonged to another vehicle, and he had no p-plates displayed on his Holden Commodore.
Branch increased his speed and continued to drive through the Napoleons township despite police activating their emergency lights and siren for him to pull over.
He reached speeds of between 140km/h and 145km/h in a 60km/h zone. Police used a speed measuring device to record a speed of 145km/h and an alleged speed of 143km/h.
The 23-year-old man was a suspended driver for six months, having lost demerit points due to a previous driving incident.
Police later found Branch's Holden Commodore parked outside a Geelong Road address at Mount Clear but he was not at the address. His car was impounded.
Branch attended the Ballarat Police Station that night and made admissions he was the driver. He told officers he sped and failed to stop while being pursued by police because he got scared.
Defence lawyer Andrew Madden, who also appeared by a video link, said his client had had an argument with his partner and wanted to get out of the situation.
He said it was obviously serious driving and he Branch attended the police station where he made full admissions to being the driver.
Mr Madden said including the six month suspension and mandatory disqualification, the total time Branch would not be allowed to drive would be 25 months which was substantial for a young person who lived 30 minutes outside Ballarat.
The magistrate, who appeared via a video link from the Horsham Magistrates' Court, told Branch he would start to acquire unsavoury criminal priors if he continued his driving behaviour.
"You have a problem with how you conduct yourself on the road," Ms Toose said.
Branch was convicted and fined $2500 and disqualified from driving for 12 months. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving while being pursued by police, driving while suspended, using an unregistered motor vehicle and failing to display p-plates.
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