Regan Andrew Forbes (19), of Oamaru, has paid a heavy price for assaulting his father, fleeing police and crashing his car into a power pole.
The caterer was sentenced in the Oamaru District Court yesterday on charges of drink-driving, reckless driving, failing to stop for police, assault and resisting police.
On June 2, 2016, Forbes was at home with his parents.
According to the police summary of facts, he entered the lounge about 10.30pm, whereupon his parents tried to have a conversation with him.
Forbes was slurring his words and not making sense.
His father, Craig Forbes, believed he was under the influence of a substance and went to his bedroom to investigate.
Forbes followed his father into his bedroom where they began arguing.
Forbes punched his father in the face with enough force to rock his head back.
As his father tried to restrain him, Forbes punched him a second time and bit him on the left wrist.
During the struggle the defendant's mother phoned police and asked a neighbour for help.
The neighbour entered the bedroom and helped restrain Forbes.
When police arrived, Forbes took a swing at Constable Nicholas Turner and had to be forcibly restrained.
Forbes offered no explanation for his actions.
On April 14, Forbes was travelling south on Thames St, Oamaru. As
he passed Usk St, a police patrol car activated its lights and began to follow him.
The police summary said Forbes increased his speed and drove down a busy lower Thames St.
Forbes drove in the left-hand lane and passed several vehicles on the left as he headed to the intersection of lower Thames St and Itchen St, where he turned right, cutting off another vehicle.
The pursuing police advised their communication centre that they were ending the pursuit.
About five minutes later, Forbes completed a 120m burnout in a southerly direction in Towey St.
He was unable to stop his vehicle and it spun through 180 degrees across Perth St and crashed into a power pole.
Forbes and four passengers got out of the vehicle, collected a box of beer and ran from the scene.
They were located hiding in a property several blocks away, where Forbes was arrested.
He was taken to Oamaru Police Station where he gave an evidential breath test of 535mcg of alcohol per litre of breath.
He told police he had taken some friends to get more beer and when police attempted to stop him he thought he could make it back to a friend's house without getting caught.
Forbes was convicted on the assault charge and ordered to come up for sentence in the next nine months. On the charge of resisting police he was convicted and discharged.
Judge David Saunders told Forbes he made a "stupid'' decision when he chose to drive a vehicle in the way that he did.
"You thought you could outrun them.
"You could have killed yourself and your occupants.''
Judge Saunders said people could have been hurt during Forbes' drink-driving and the police pursuit.
On the remaining driving charges, Forbes was sentenced to nine months' supervision, 100 hours' community work, three months' community detention and he is suspended from driving for nine months.
