COFFS HARBOUR: Unaccompanied Learner Driver Charged Following Police Pursuit

Police have charged an unaccompanied learner driver following a pursuit near Coffs Harbour on Friday night.

Just after 11pm, police conducting proactive patrols at Lyons Road at Sawtell, attempted to stop the driver of a white Holden commodore sedan for the purposes of a random breath test.

The driver allegedly accelerated from the scene, travelling at 130km/h in a signposted 50km zone, before mounting a nearby gutter and crashing into a telegraph pole.

All four occupants of the vehicle attempted to flee the scene on foot.

The passengers, two girls – aged 16 and 14 – and a 12-year-old boy, were detained by police at the scene.

The driver, a 17-year-old boy, was located hiding in nearby bushland and allegedly returned a positive result to a roadside breath test.

He was arrested and taken to Coffs Harbour Police Station, where he allegedly returned a breath analysis of 0.028.

The teenager’s licence was suspended, and he was charged with special category driver drive with special range PCA, learner not accompanied by driver/police officer/tester and police pursuit – not stop – drive dangerously.

He was granted strict conditional bail to appear at a children’s court on Monday 23 November 2020.

No injuries were reported during the incident and the three passengers were collected by family members.