A Unanderra “hooligan” has been banned from getting behind the wheel of a car for nine years following a string of serious driving offences, including one in which he menaced another motorist to the point the driver ran off the road.
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Gary Johns narrowly avoided jail for his crimes when he fronted Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday for sentencing, instead being ordered to perform a whopping 400 hours of community service for his crimes and placed on a suspended jail sentence.
The court heard the most serious offence involved Johns tailgating another vehicle through multiple suburbs on the evening of September 24 last year.
The driver, who was known to Johns, lost control of the vehicle as it turned onto Central Avenue in Unanderra and collided with the western kerb.
The passenger jumped out of the vehicle and ran to a nearby house.
Johns initially denied any involvement in the incident when spoken to by police however later admitted his guilt in court.
His actions came on the back of a series of poor driving decisions in the preceding six months, which included twice driving under the influence of alcohol and once with a suspended licence.
Police prosecutor Shannon Ryan urged the court to impose a full-time prison sentence, describing Johns’ actions as “hooligan behaviour”.
“He put lives at risk … it’s a dreadful set of facts,” he said.
However, Magistrate Susan McGowan agreed with defence submissions to suspend any prison sentence, noting Johns was trying to turn his life around.
As part of the suspended sentence, he must complete a traffic offender’s program within six months.
