No-nonsense magistrate unleashes at Aussie teen as she bans him from driving for the rest of his life
A Queensland teenager has been banned from driving for life after a high-speed police chase in Gympie.
Brodee Podetti, 18, pleaded guilty at the 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 evading police, the Courier Mail Reports.
Police prosecutor Leon Casey Podetti told the court that Podetti was captured on CCTV arriving at the car park of a Gympie hotel just after 9pm on February 26, 2024.
He had already been banned from driving and the number plates of the car he was driving belonged to a different vehicle, the court heard.
Not long after entering the hotel, Podetti was again seen on CCTV footage driving out of the car park before stopping at a red light behind an unmarked police car.
The court heard the police officer saw Podetti rev the engine several times before running a red light.
The officer turned on his car’s lights and sirens, but Podetti was unable to stop and drove away.
Brodee Podetti (photo) received a main sentence of five years in prison and is permanently disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s license
Magistrate Edwina Rowan (pictured) told Podetti his previous sentence did not prevent him from engaging in dangerous driving
Podetti was then observed driving at high speed, crashing into oncoming traffic while experiencing burnouts and narrowly avoiding collisions with other cars.
The court ruled that Podetti exceeded the speed limit of 60 km/h in the residential area.
Magistrate Edwina Rowan revealed Podetti’s ‘appalling’ driving history, including previous convictions for hooning.
Earlier this year he was disqualified from driving and sentenced to 18 months in prison with immediate release.
“You… should have known that by driving a motor vehicle you were running a very real risk of being taken back into custody and sentenced to a further prison sentence,” Ms Rowan said.
“The only conclusion I can draw is that there was a blatant disregard by both of you for the orders of the court, the revocation of your motorcycle license… in addition to a blatant disregard for the safety of other road users.”
Magistrate Edwina Rowan revealed Podetti’s ‘appalling’ driving history, including previous convictions for hooning
Podetti’s lawyer told the court that the teenager’s father had been in hospital for 12 months with serious brain injuries after a motorcycle accident and that Podetti had cared for his father from a young age.
Magistrate Rowan told Podetti: ‘In such circumstances you must be someone who is acutely aware of responsible driving and acting in a way that does not have the potential to cause harm to other users.’
Podetti received a main sentence of 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, having served time in pre-trial detention.