Our expert criminal lawyers for a police pursuit offence can help you:
- Obtain bail.
- Be found not guilty.
- Receive a lenient sentence, like no conviction and no prison.
You will be represented by a team of award-winning criminal lawyers, with 500+ five-star Google reviews, who offer fixed fees and free first consultations.
You can read our reviews here.
Police pursuit
Police Pursuit (Skye’s Law) is a serious criminal offence that was introduced by the government after a 19-month-old toddler, Skye Sassine, was killed when her family’s car was hit by a driver, suspected of armed robbery, who was trying to evade police. Penalties for Skye’s law can be very heavy because it is intended to deter people from attempting to evade police which can lead to dangerous chases and high-speed pursuits.
Despite its seriousness, Skye’s law is an offence we can often beat where identification is an issue or where a driver is not aware that they are being followed by the police. Police will also often accept a plea of guilty to a lesser offence such as drive in a manner dangerous and withdraw the pursuit charge.
How do I beat a charge of police pursuit?
You will be found not guilty of Skye’s Law if the police cannot prove beyond reasonable doubt:
- You drove a vehicle; and
- Knew, ought reasonably to have known or had reasonable grounds to suspect that police officers are in pursuit of the vehicle and that you were required to stop the vehicle; and
- You did not stop the vehicle; and
- Then drive the vehicle recklessly or at a speed or in a manner dangerous to others.
You can read more information about pleading not guilty here.
Pleading guilty to Pursuit Charges
If you agree that you have committed the offence (and the police are able to prove so), it is best to plead guilty as you will normally receive a discount on sentence, and it will demonstrate remorse and contrition. Alternatively, one of our experienced solicitors may be able to negotiate with the prosecutors to have you plead guilty to less serious facts or to a less serious charge.
The automatic disqualification period for an offence of police pursuit is 3 years. The minimum disqualification period is 12 months.
Police pursuit carries a maximum penalty of 3 years imprisonment for a first offence and 5 years imprisonment for a second offence.
Police pursuit is a serious criminal offence, and if you are charged with it, you should contact our office immediately.
You can read more about pleading guilty here.
Do I need references?
We believe references are an extremely important part of a plea of guilty in court. Read about court processes and how to write a good character reference.
Contact Australian Criminal Law Group
Our criminal lawyers, with 500+ five-star Google reviews, can beat a police pursuits charge or obtain a lenient sentence for you if you plead guilty.
Call us on (02) 8815 8167 for your free first conference or submit a website enquiry.
Case studies
Reduced sentence
Our lawyer represented a client charged with 2 police pursuits in a matter of weeks. The pursuits were during the day and in area where there were many people present. Our lawyer convinced the magistrate to give his client a good behaviour bond and one-year disqualification.
Not guilty
Our lawyer represented a driver, who pleaded not guilty to the offence of police pursuit. The police alleged the pursuit was over a short distant. Our lawyer argued that whilst the driver had been driving dangerously prior to the police commencing the pursuit, he stopped as soon as he could following the police activating their sirens. It was argued that the delay in stopping was because it was unsafe to do so immediately. The Magistrate agreed and found the client not guilty.
Charges dismissed
Our lawyer represented a man charged with police pursuit. The car involved in the police chase was found dumped in a side street and our client was found in close proximity to the car. Our lawyer argued that his presence in the vicinity of where the car was found was not enough to prove he was the driver. On the day of his hearing, the magistrate dismissed the charge.