A Queensland teenager has been banned from driving for life after a high-speed police chase in Gympie.
Brodee Podetti, 18, pleaded guilty in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday when he appeared via video link from Maryborough Correctional Center for offenses including dangerous operation of a vehicle, driving while disqualified and evade the police, Courier mail reports.
Police prosecutor Leon Casey Podetti told the court that Podetti was captured on CCTV footage arriving at the car park of a Gympie hotel shortly after 9pm on February 26, 2024.
He was already disqualified from driving and the registration plates of the car he was driving belonged to another vehicle, the court heard.
Shortly after entering the hotel, Podetti again appeared on CCTV footage leaving the car park before stopping at a red light behind an unmarked police car.
The court heard the police officer observed Podetti rev the engine several times before running a red light.
The officer turned on his car’s lights and sirens, but Podetti couldn’t stop and sped off.
Brodee Podetti (pictured) received a five-year prison sentence and is permanently disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s license.
Magistrate Edwina Rowan (pictured) told Podetti his previous sentence did not deter him from dangerous driving.
Podetti was then observed driving at high speed, swerving into oncoming traffic while doing burnouts and narrowly avoiding collisions with other cars.
The court heard Podetti exceeded the 60km/h speed limit in the residential area.
Magistrate Edwina Rowan revealed Podetti’s “appalling” driving record, including previous convictions for harassment.
He was disqualified from driving and sentenced to 18 months in prison with immediate parole earlier this year.
“You…should have known that by driving a motor vehicle you ran a very real risk of being returned to custody and sentenced to a further prison term,” Ms Rowan said.
“The only inference I can draw is that there was a blatant disregard by both of them for the court’s orders, the disqualification of their driver’s license… as well as a blatant disregard for the safety of other road users.”
Magistrate Edwina Rowan revealed Podetti’s “appalling” driving record, including previous harassment convictions
Podetti’s lawyer told the court that the teenager’s father was in hospital for 12 months with a serious brain injury following a motorcycle accident and that Podetti had cared for his father from a young age.
Magistrate Rowan told Podetti: “In those circumstances you must be someone who is very conscious of responsible driving and acting in a way that does not have the potential to harm other road users.”
Podetti was sentenced to five years in prison and was permanently disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s license.
He will be eligible for parole on August 2, 2024 with time served in pre-sentence custody.
