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Mandurah man sentenced for speeding 60km/h over the limit with meth in his system

Staff WriterMandurah Coastal Times

A MAN caught speeding 60km/h over the limit with methamphetamine in his system in Falcon was described as “reckless” and “impulsive” in Mandurah Magistrates Court today .

Cohben Chase Patterson (22) pleaded guilty to nine driving offences.

Patterson pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle involved in an accident in which a caravan was damaged, failing to report the accident to police and driving recklessly at 140km/h in an 80km/h zone.

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Police prosecutor Senior Constable Mick Fallows said Patterson was riding his Honda motorbike in Ravenswood on April 4, 2018 at 6.17pm and a speed camera caught him going 98km/h in an 80km/h zone.

Patterson was driving with a non-issued registration plate at the time.

On the same day, at 10.40pm, Patterson was riding near Falcon and travelling 140km/h in an 80km/h zone. Police were travelling 2km away from Patterson.

Sen Const Fallows said 10 minutes later Patterson then drove his bike along Pinjarra Road and crashed with a vehicle where he sustained serious injuries as a result.

In a blood test, Patterson was found to have methamphetamine in his system at the time of the incident.

Police said Patterson drove along a road in Erskine at 10pm on September 15 last year, accelerated his car around a corner and collided with a caravan.

He then abandoned his vehicle, and removed his registration plate to avoid police identifying his car.

Defence lawyer Siobhan Nims said in relation to Patterson’s September charge, he broke down in Ravenswood which is why he abandoned his car.

“The accident occurred when he accelerated too fast around a corner,” she said.

“He said he was in a rush to get home”.

Ms Nims said Patterson’s sister bought him the car and he was scared she would get angry with him if she found out it was damaged.

“He volunteered to police, a few weeks after the incident, that he drove the vehicle,” she said.

Ms Nims said Patterson’s decision to speed was “reckless” and ”impulsive” rather than” deliberate”.

“He’s an experienced motorcross rider who has competed in the Australian Championships in the past,” she said.

Ms Nims said Patterson told her he was scared he would turn into a 40-year-old junkie with no life prospects.

Sen Const Fallows said a community-based order would be a suitable sentence for Patterson due to his drug problem.

Magistrate Brionie Ayling said Patterson made an error of judgement and panicked when abandoning his vehicle.

“Your youth is a factor – youth don’t think things through especially when drugs are involved,” she said.

Magistrate Ayling sentenced Patterson to a nine-month community-based order with supervision and program requirements for his reckless driving offence.