A Queenstown shearer who drove at an average speed of 149kmh along a treacherous gorge road has been sentenced to 300 hours' community work.
Jeremy Russell Lemin, 30, was also banned from driving for 18 months and had his 1996 Mitsubishi GTi car confiscated, at Queenstown District Court this morning.
Lemin was stopped by police in Cromwell on July 30.
Just 16 minutes earlier he'd failed to stop for a police in patrol car in Arrowtown - 40km away through the notorious Kawarau Gorge.
Judge Mark Callaghan said: "Your counsel Mr [Joseph] Mooney describes the driving as 'quite bad'. It was diabolically bad."
Lemin was convicted of dangerous driving and failing to stop for police.
Sergeant Ian Collin said an officer had spotted Lemin overtaking another vehicle on the brow of a hill in Arrowtown, near Queenstown, at speeds approaching 95km.
He then ignored the officers who tried to pull him over in a patrol car with lights flashing and siren sounding, and accelerated away.
Police abandoned the pursuit because of the danger to the public.
Lemin was finally stopped near the Highlands Motorsport Park near Cromwell.
The route taken by him included the Kawarau Gorge, which had several bends with 45kmh speed advisory signs, Judge Callaghan said.
Lemin's counsel, Joseph Mooney, told the court at an earlier hearing his client "freaked out" when he saw the patrol car, but could not otherwise explain his actions.
Lemin was sentenced to 300 hours' community work on the dangerous driving charge, disqualified for 12 months and his car was confiscated.
Judge Callaghan said imposition of a fine was unsuitable as Lemin as more than $8000 in unpaid fines.
He was disqualified for a further six months on the failing to stop charge.
Lemin will be allowed to retrieve property from the car and extract the stereo system and sub-woofer, which he said did not belong to him.
